Series 6: Rebirth
by Princess Basketcase
Summary: The Mallrats reach the city of Xelia, a peaceful place to live. Not all is perfect. Jay and Ved are eventually reunited, but only to be fighting over the princess. Meanwhile, someone is plotting to take control.
1. Sailing Away

A/N: Another fanfic! This time it's on THE TRIBE. I've recently became a fan of this show and I've grown to like it. Haven't watched all the episodes, but I pretty much have a clear view on what has happened. Here's the info, for this fanfic I decided to start on a "Series 6", well of course my version of it. Everyone's got imaginations right? I wasn't sure about the boat thing, so I made it a little more interesting. Well at the end of Series 5, people died and the Mallrats move out of the city. So what's next on their sailing boat? Here's a little synopsis:

After leaving their city, the Mallrats hit an island unknown to them. Turns out, that island is inhabited by Xegians...the people of Xelia, the only city on the island. There the Mallrats learn that this is the only place where the people aren't separated by tribes, but all of them represent Xelia. They are found by the Xegian troops and eventually taken to the Xegian leader, Princess Sheia. She welcomes all of them with her kindness and helps them start their new life. Meanwhile, Sammy plans on visiting Mouse, and Salene decides to accompany him. Gel still tries to capture Lex's attention, despite the fact that Lex is still mourning for Siva. When enough drama's around, there's still Jay's dilemma with Trudy and Amber. Trudy wants to start all over, trying to get Amber to do the same, but Amber thinks otherwise. What makes it worst, Jay has an interest, but it's not Trudy or Amber.

The Tribe: Series 6

Rebirth

Chapter 1 – Sailing Away

"Where are we heading off to now?" asked Gel.

"Jay, we should find land." Said Trudy. "We can't wonder off here in the waters forever."

"Well we'll try heading west." Thought Jay. "Any sign of clean land would be fine."

On the other side of the boat, Ebony confronts Ruby. "Hey."

Ruby looked at her. "What?"

"Look, I'm really sorry for my attitude." Ebony said. "I really am, especially about this whole pregnancy thing."

"You want my forgiveness?" Ruby stared at her.

"I'm not asking for it." Said Ebony. "I just want to apologize. Thinking on this boat, I've done a lot of bad things. I've lost two sisters, and I know Lex couldn't forgive me for that."

"I hate to be mean Ebony," said Ruby. "But if you're turning over a new leaf, then that's fine. I just don't think anyone's going to ease up on you."

Ebony nodded and looked behind them as they sailed further away from the city.

"Salene?" said Sammy.

"Yeah Sammy?" Salene asked.

"Do you think Mouse is okay?" Sammy asked.

Salene smiled a little bit and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wouldn't miss Mouse if you two were ever separated?"

"Well," Sammy looked depressed. "I mean she's gone with the Ecos, we've moved away from the city, and that just makes it all worst. There's no way we can come in contact with her."

"Aw come on Sammy." Gel interrupts. "She's probably enjoying herself in the woods. Tarzan and Jane remember?"

"Gel." Salene gives her a look. "Don't worry about it Sammy. I'm sure Mouse is doing fine. If anything, once everyone's got their lives back together and everything in this world is sorted out, we can always go back and find Mouse."

Sammy gave a little smile. "I'd sure like to visit her."

"Yeah me too." Salene patted him on the shoulder.

Amber sat looking around as she held her baby close to her. "How's the baby?" asked Trudy.

"Well it's kind of cold out here." Said Amber. "Listen Trudy, I want to apologize."

"You know Amber," said Trudy. "I've been thinking." She looked around to see if anyone was listening.

"What?" Amber asked.

"I think that this whole triangle thing is getting old." Said Trudy. "And I think, maybe it's time to begin a fresh start. No relationships, just caring for the baby. As much as I care for Jay, this triangle is really not getting anywhere."

Amber thought about it. "You're right." She sighed. "I don't think we should be getting into this trouble. I mean we're all friends, and this dilemma is just separating all of us."

"Well, wherever we go off to.." said Trudy. "I hope we can all start a new life." The two mothers hugged as they kept talking about the future.

"The skies look like they don't want to cooperate today." Said Jack looking up at the sky.

"Those clouds look very heavy." Pointed Ellie.

Jay looked at the sky. "We really have to get to land soon. There's no sign of land anywhere."

Jack's eyes widened. "And I think the waves are picking up."

"Tell everyone to get inside." Said Jay as he went inside the cabin. Jack announced to everyone to take cover inside.

"Well this is very convenient." Said Lex sarcastically. He has been depressed for the past few days since Siva's funeral. It wasn't easy for Lex to forget the words she said to him, that he was the one for her.

"Is everyone in here?" Jay looked around.

"I pretty much rounded everyone up." Jack finally entered the full cabin.

"Okay make sure everybody holds tight." Said Jay as he went to the captain's room.

"I hear the waves are picking up." Said May.

"Yeah they are." Salene agreed. "Did you see the clouds out there? I could've sworn they were turning black."

After a few minutes, the Mallrats began feeling a little woozy due to the movement of the boat.

"This feels like a hangover." Salene had her hands on her forehead.

Suddenly the lights went out and there was a crashing sound outside. The boat appeared to have stopped moving. Jay came in the cabin with a flashlight.

"Is everyone alright?" Jay asked pointing the flashlight everywhere.

"Yeah." Everyone said.

"All those waves took us really far and I think we actually found land." Said Jay.

"Well let's get out of here then!" said Gel.

"We don't even know about this land Gel." Said Sammy.

"How about some of us stay and a few go check out the land?" suggested Jack.

Everyone muttered in agreement. "Okay Lex and Jack, you guys can come with me. Ram and Slade, make sure everything here is safe. Everyone stay here and don't leave the boat." Said Jay.

Lex and Jack followed Jay out of the cabin. The skies were a little gray, but nonetheless the land they had hit looked very unfamiliar.

"Looks like instead of landing on the sand, we hit a boulder." Said Lex looking at the wrecked area of the boat.

"Come on, we have to check if this place is safe." Said Jay. The three of them walked across the sandy beach to see if there was any sign of people.

"You think that maybe through the forest we can find something?" asked Jack.

"I guess you're right. We'll never find anything here." Said Jay. "Stay close, we don't know what's up ahead."

They walked deeper into the forest. The forest was very green, and it seemed like nature in that land could never be demolished. Every tree and flower was growing and blooming.

"This feels like a place where Ecos would live." Said Lex looking at their surroundings.

"Look over there." Pointed Jack. It looked like a clean area in the forest and it was like a path was made. "Should we go that way?"

"We need to leave a marker." Said Jay. "That way we won't get lost."

Lex pulled out a pocket knife and marked an X on two tree barks. "There."

"Alright let's go." Said Jay as they all continued into the forest.

"Where is this path taking us?" asked Jack.

"Hopefully not to danger." Said Lex. As they continued on, the color of the sky above the trees became brighter.

Jack stopped and looked at the sky. "Looks like everything's clearing up."

"Jack…" said Jay. Jack saw that there was opening of the forest, where Jay and Lex stood halt.

"What's wrong?" Jack wondered. Before anyone answered, Jack saw a view of a whole city. It was a little bigger than their old home, but the big difference was that everything looked at peace.

"People live here." Said Lex.

"That's right." Said a voice. A guy wearing a headset and a black and blue uniform walked towards them. Behind him was a group of people wearing the same uniform as he was. They all had a red symbol on the left side of their necks, except the guy had two red stripes beside his left eye. The guy was tall, fair skin, blue-green eyes, and bright red hair The rest of the group surrounded Jay, Lex, and Jack. "What brings you here to Xelia?" (pronounced as Zel-ya)

"We've actually escaped from our old city on a boat." Said Jay. "Our city was being ravaged from rebellions. Unfortunately we were caught in the waves and our boat crashed onto the beach beyond the forest. We're looking around if it was safe for everyone else on the boat to come here."

"Are you from a tribe?" asked the guy. "I see you have a symbol on your forehead."

Jay realized that the symbol he talked about was the Technos tribal sign. "Yes I am, the Mallrats actually. I used to be in a tribe called the Technos, but I've actually moved way from them."

"And you two?" asked the guy to Lex and Jack.

"We're with him." Said Jack nervously.

The guy looked at them suspiciously. "How many more of you in the boat?"

"There's actually a lot of us that came." Said Jack.

The guy and the rest of his group stared at them. "Viktor."

"Yes sir." A guy with dark brown hair and hazel eyes stepped forward. "Take five of your cadets and escort let's say, one of these gentlemen? We'll help you get the rest of your friends here to safety. Last thing you want are your friends stuck on that boat. I'm sure the Princess will give you a place to stay."

"Princess?" asked Jay. "Is she your leader?"

"She's actually the leader of the city. You might get to meet her today. But for now, please one of you accompany my cadets with Viktor to your boat." Said the guy.

"Alright um, Jack." Said Jay. "Do you mind?"

"Yeah sure of course. Be careful." Said Jack as he went with Viktor's group.

"Right then, welcome to Xelia." Said the guy.

"I'm Jay by the way. This is Lex." Said Jay.

"Oh my apologies." Said the guy. "I'm Captain Gene. I'm the head of the Xegian (zee-juhn) troops, specifically the upper class. Police if you will. Oh excuse me for a moment."

The little gadget attached to the pocket of his pants was blinking. "You trust these guys?" asked Lex.

"We have no choice." Said Jay.

Gene pressed the button on the blinking gadget. "Gene here. Oh yes Princess, we've actually found some people that escaped their city. Yes Tribal. So far I've heard about Technos and Mallrats. Yes. We're not too sure maybe roughly fifteen. Yes. I'm actually going there soon with two of them. We'll leave as soon as possible Princess."

"Was that your Princess?" Lex asked.

"Actually it was. I might in trouble for calling her Princess too much. She actually gets annoyed if people say it too much." Said Gene. "Let me just tell Viktor to meet up with us at her house."

"We actually get to go to the Princess' house?" Lex asked Jay.

"Seems so." Said Jay.

"Alright then, move out cadets. Come on gentlemen, our cars are down the hill." Gene began walking.

"How did you find us?" asked Jay.

"The forest is guarded actually." Said Gene. "We have troops in assigned "gates" to the forest. So if ever someone's missing, good or bad situation, no one is able to get out of the city. The only legal way to leave is through the boats at the dock, which are of course monitored."

"Wow. Organized." Said Jay. They entered the police cars and headed off into the city. The city was clean, and people in the streets were happy. They all have the red symbols on their necks just like the troops, only theirs were blue. "Does that symbol stand for your tribe?"

"Yes and no." answered Gene. "It is the symbol of the Xegians. We're one people, but outsiders would call us a tribe. In fact if you refer it to a tribe, you could say we are a huge tribe."

"No rebellions?" asked Lex.

"There were at the beginning." Answered Gene. "The Princess was actually the one that brought everyone together, to work and keep this city alive. When the virus spread, this city was nearly wiped out. Turns out kids from other places found this island when they were trying to evacuate. That gave Xelia more citizens. Soon enough, the Princess was actually given the title Princess. There is no king, queen, or prince here. In Xelia, she helps everyone. Us troops are her support. She does have a cabinet to help run the city, but she calls all the shots."

"Wow. That's quite a leader." Said Jay.

"Yes she is." Said Gene. "She's actually my cousin."

"You've got royal blood then?" asked Lex.

"Not really." Gene chuckled. "She actually has a brother. But he left once their parents past way because of the virus. She was heartbroken. Her only brother left her alone so she ran the city. Once I heard about it I wanted help. Got me the position as Lieutenant. For all we know, her brother could somewhere out there alone himself. Well, we're almost there."

"That was quick." Said Lex.

"Well the streets here don't have much trouble with traffic. Here we are." Said Gene. They arrived at a tall red and white mansion at the top of the hill past the city.

"She lives here by herself?" Jay asked looking at the big house.

"Actually no, I live here too with a few of our cousins." Said Gene. "Her cabinet meets here every week. But everything else, it's just a house. This house was actually an abandoned house that everyone though was haunted. Actually it belonged to some rich guy way long time ago. Since no one lived here, we took it."

"Gene everything all right?" A girl walked down the steps of the entrance in a white and blue uniform, almost the same that Gene was wearing except with a long skirt to her knees. She had long brown hair tied in a long pony tail, two red stripes by her eye just like Gene, and fair skin.

"Oh, you didn't tell us that the Princess would meet us here." Said Lex.

"Our apologies." Said Jay.

"Guys," said Gene. "That's not the Princess. That's Breielle, she's my older sister."

"I'm not that old. You can call me Bree." chuckled Breielle (Bree-yell). "Sheia's inside actually. She's expecting you." She smiled and showed them inside.


	2. The House

**Chapter 2 – The "House"**

"The rest of your friends are on their way." Said Gene. "That's a lot of you to fit in a boat."

"Yeah, we're pretty lucky that we're all safe." Jack agreed.

"We can probably arrange some place for you to stay." Said Bree. "Are you planning to make a living here in Xelia?"

"Well, we haven't really given it some thought yet." Said Jay. "But we sure need a place to stay since the boat is wrecked."

"Don't worry." Said Gene. "Bree and Sheia will find something for you."

"We actually have a couple of guest rooms here." Said Bree. "If anything, hopefully Sheia will be very hospitable."

"Oh, wow that's quite an offer." Jack was surprised.

"Well, I'll talk it over with our friends." Jay nodded.

"Sure." Said Bree. "Oh I think that's them. In here!" The rest of the Mallrats came in the lobby of the "house."

"This is a house?" Gel commented. "More like a mansion!"

"Shut it Gel." Said Salene.

"Hi everyone. Welcome to Xelia." Smiled Bree. "I'm Breielle, but you can call me Bree and this is Lieutenant of troops, my horrible brother Gene."

"Hello everyone. Don't mind her." Gene smiled. Everyone greeted him.

"Well all of you can have a seat here in the lobby, lots of chairs and couches for all of you." Said Bree. "Gene can you go see if Sheia can come down?"

"Yeah sure." Said Gene as he began walking up the staircase.

"Are we going to get meet the Princess?" asked Ellie.

"Sit tight Ellie, she's probably a busy woman." Said Jack.

"I think she's probably older than all of us." Said Ebony. "To be running a city like this, takes a lot of wisdom."

"Only you would know right?" said Lex plainly.

"Guys come on." Said Amber. "We've gotta get along sometime."

"Suit yourself." Lex leaned back with his arms crossed into an armchair.

"You think the Princess is old huh?" asked Bree who was amused by their conversation.

"She has to be right?" asked Gel.

"Why do you always have to be so stupid?" Sammy shook his head.

"Stop it." Said May impatiently.

"Well is she?" Gel asked.

Bree smiled. "Just wait till you meet her."

"Bree." Called Gene. "You know how the festival's in a few hours right?"

"Oh yeah that completely slipped my mind." Bree bit her lip. "Sheia's getting ready isn't she?"

"Yeah. Let me tell them." Said Gene as he walked down the stairs. "Listen guys, the Princess told me that you are all more than welcome to stay here till we find a place for all of you to live. In the meantime, we actually have a yearly Xegian festival tonight. You are more than welcome to join us."

"What about the Princess?" Ram asked.

"You're not getting anything Ram." Mumbled Ebony. Ram gave her a look. Slade just let out a little laugh.

"She's actually getting ready for the festival right now." Said Gene.

"How many hours does she need to get ready?" Lottie asked.

"Don't be rude." Said Trudy holding her baby.

"Actually she does need quite a lot of hours. You'll see why tonight." Gene smiled.

"But for now, we'll show you a tour." Said Bree.

"Bree, is it okay if I go straight to the room? I'm actually not feeling well." Said Ruby.

"Me too, I don't think my legs can take any more walking." Said Ram.

"Alright I'll show you the rooms. Gene can you show them around?" Bree asked.

"Sure." Said Gene. "Well we're in the southeastern end, as you can see this is the lobby. Let's go to the kitchen and dining."

"Wow." Said May. They went towards the northeastern end, which was a huge kitchen and a mini bar.

They went through two doors from the kitchen and entered the dining room. "This room's huge!" said Salene.

"Yes it is." Gene laughed. "Few more places to cover."

"Few?" Trudy wondered.

"Probably seven." Amber joked.

"We're not going to go to the conference room, it's pretty boring. Just a couple of offices and the actual conference room." Said Gene. "We'll skip that. Over here in the western end, this is like the common room. Little hangout. When we're all tired, all of us family stay here and chill, play pool, video games, or watch a movie."

They entered a room with four couches, a pool table, and two televisions. "Of course you can come here too. But for now, let's continue. This is the quad. It's the relaxing area. You can have a great view of the city here, and a real good sunset. The Princess loves this." Said Gene.

"That's beautiful." Said Ebony.

"That's pretty much everything downstairs, which is actually all you need to know really." Said Gene. "Now if you want the elevator it's down the hall, but let's go take the stairs up to your rooms. Now upstairs, it's all rooms. The guest rooms are all in the east wing. Remember that. Now the West Wing, unless you're invited to one of the family's rooms, then you shouldn't wander around there. All the doors in the West Wing have personal locks."

"Who exactly is in the family?" Jack asked as they continued up the stairs.

"Well, there's me and Bree." Said Gene. "My younger sister Gerie, our other cousins Lilah, Ivan, and Reed. You'll get to meet them later."

"You're all in the same family?" Amber asked.

"Yeah. It's not all of us actually." Said Gene as he leaded them to the East wing. "Some of our cousin live in another country, also the princess' brother, haven't heard of them in a long time. Anyways, here are your rooms. I actually prepared the rooms already so all of you can fit into two rooms."

"How many beds in each room?" Amber asked.

"Well I assumed you would be separated guys and girls, so the girls have five beds. A bed could fit two people, but if you need an extra we can bring in a folding bed. For the guys, there are five as well. But being a guy, I know sharing won't be possible. So, there's an extra folding one in there. Making that six." Said Gene.

"Hmmm, me, Jack, Lex, Ram, Sammy, and Slade…yeah that's six." Jay counted.

"Alright then, if anything. You can find me in the conference room. Oh yeah guys, if you're planning to join us tonight at the festival, meet down at the lobby at five thirty." Said Gene.

"Thanks for everything man." Said Jay.

"Don't mention it. If you guys actually go tonight you'll get to meet the Princess personally. We have a tent for the family so you're more than welcome to stop by after the performances."

"Alright then, sounds good." Jay nodded. Gene took off downstairs as the Mallrats entered their rooms.


	3. The Festival

**Chapter 3 – The Festival**

"Finally you guys came." Said Ruby who was laying on one of the beds.

"The beds are really comfy." Said Lottie as she jumped on one of the beds.

"Are you going to share that?" asked May.

Lottie gave her a look. "Sure, why not?"

"I guess I should ask for a folding bed." Said Ebony.

Amber shrugged. "You can share with me Ebony." Said Ruby.

"Are you sure?" Ebony asked. Ruby nodded. The girls decided to share beds. In the boys' room, they all kept to their beds.

"Why do I get the folding bed?" Sammy complained.

"Because your body in one of these beds would be wasting space." Said Lex.

During the next couple of hours, the guys chilled in their beds while the girls got ready for the festival.

"It sounds so noisy next door." Complained Ram.

"Girls are probably fixing their makeup for the festival." Slade scratched his head.

"You going to the festival?" asked Lex.

"I really don't want to. A good sleep would be nice." Said Slade. "But I'm hungry and honestly I'd like to see this girl they call Princess."

"She's probably some babe." Sammy thought.

"You haven't reached puberty what would you know?" Lex laughed.

"She's probably twice your age anyway." Jay joked.

At five thirty, the Mallrats all met downstairs in the lobby. "Oh everyone's coming?" Gene asked standing next to two other guys that looked like troops.

"Yeah, we're all ready!" Gel smiled.

"Right." Gene shook his head. "Anyways, these are my cousins Ivan and Reed. They are heads of their stations here in Xelia, but since their family, they'll be more than happy to drive you to the festival."

Ivan was a little shorter than Gene, and had bright blue spiky hair. He had green eyes, fair skin like Gene, and like everyone else in Xelia, had the symbol on his neck. He wore the same black and blue uniform and instead of the red stripes Gene had near his eye, he had blue stripes. Reed was the same height as Gene, and like Ivan his hair was spiky, except his was dark brown. He also had green eyes, fair skin, and wore the same uniform and had the same blue stripes as Ivan.

"Are we all set?" Reed asked.

"Wow." Salene muttered under her breath. Reed saw this but smiled looking at everyone.

"Yeah looks like it." Said Amber holding baby Bray.

"Alright let's go then." Said Ivan who seemed more serious than the other two. The Mallrats got into two vans and they headed down the hill and to a place by the ocean.

"This is the beach park." Said Gene. "Events are held here, just like the festival."

The beach park was filled with Xegian residents roaming the grounds. There were booths everywhere, and there was a rectangular space left open, but no one set foot in it.

"Why the open space?" Lottie wondered as she got out of the van.

"That's actually where the performances happen." Said Reed.

"Well feel free to go around." Said Gene. "After the performances just meet us in that big white tent over there."

"Thank you so much." Said Amber.

"Where's the food?" Slade wondered.

"There's a bunch of people gathering over there." Said Ebony. "Must be the food you're looking for."

"Amber, I'm going with Lottie, May, Gel, and Sammy to check out the booths for a little while. That okay?" Salene asked.

"Yeah, but where are all of us going to meet?" Amber wondered.

"Jay!" A voice called. It was Bree running towards them. "The performances are going to start in about an hour, but you and your friends have seats reserved over there in that corner. So when you're ready, Ivan should be there to show you."

"Sounds good." Said Jack.

"Thanks Bree." Said Jay. "Alright everyone, meet in that corner of seats in an hour." The Mallrats went their separate ways. Jack and Ellie went off by themselves, Amber went with Ruby and Ebony, Lex went with Slade and Ram to get food, and that left Trudy with Jay.

"New place huh?" said Trudy.

"Yeah." Said Jay. "We might have to start making a living here."

"Listen Jay," said Trudy. "I think we should start over you know. Forget everything in the past, things were said and well, it's a new beginning here."

"You're right. It is." Jay agreed. "I think I should try to be on my own for a little bit. You know, without the whole relationship thing."

"Right." Said Trudy. After an hour of eating and roaming around, the Mallrats met up at their reserved seats.

"That everyone?" asked Ivan.

"Believe so." Said Jack.

"GOODEVENING PEOPLE OF XELIA!" said a teenage girl with bright red hair like Gene's.

"Mind if I sit here?" asked Gene.

"Sure." Said Jay. "Is that?"

"That's Gerie. Younger sister of mine." Said Gene. "Can you see the resemblance? She decided to dye her hair the same color as me."

"I thought so. You look so much alike!" said Ellie.

"TODAY IS OF COURSE OUR ANNUAL XEGIAN FESTIVAL!" Gerie spoke into the microphone in the middle of the rectangular space in the middle of the festival. "WE ACTUALLY HAVE A NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES TONIGHT. WE HAVE SOME OF OUR VERY OWN STUDENTS AT OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS, TALENTED RESIDENTS, AND OF COURSE THE TRIBAL DANCE FROM XELIA'S MOST ESTEEMED DANCERS. YES I KNOW YOU'RE EXPECTING MY LOVELY COUSIN TO START WITH A SPEECH, BUT THIS YEAR SHE THINKS FUN MUST COME FIRST! THAT'S ALL YOU WANT RIGHT!"

The crowd cheered. "Wow she knows how to work the crowd well." Said Amber.

"That girl doesn't need a microphone for anyone to hear her." Joked Gene. Gel giggled insanely.

"LET THE PERFORMANCES BEGIN!" Gerie ran off the space as colorful lights lit the festival. The first performance was a band called the Razzes. The crowd cheered the band as they performed two songs.

"That lead singer…" sighed May. She stared at the lead singer, who was lanky and had blonde hair.

"Oh no May has a crush." Salene rolled her eyes.

"Hey I saw you eyeballing Reed." May shot back.

"Keep that quiet." Salene blushed staring at Reed who was standing by the white tent. The next performances were singing numbers from local students, and a dance number from one of the schools' dance team.

"ALRIGHT XELIA! HOW BOUT A HAND FOR ALL THESE PERFORMERS?" Gerie came on the microphone once again as the crowd applauded. 'WE HAVE ONE LAST NUMBER BEFORE MY COUSIN'S BORING SPEECH. KIDDING! SHE'S GONNA KILL ME FOR THAT. ANYWAYS! GIVE IT UP FOR THE XEGIAN TRIBAL DANCE!" Gerie ran off with the microphone and everything was quiet.

Suddenly the sound of tribal drums filled the beach park. Along with the colorful lights, there were torches lighted at the corners of the performance space. With the music and drums sounding the park, a girl came running to the performance space holding two torches. The crowd erupted with cheers. She wore a red floral bikini top and matching shorts. She had tribal tattoos on her arms and lower back. The girl was wearing a mask covering her face as she played with torches. She threw one up in the air and caught it and began spinning the torches with confidence. She lighted the bare ends of the torches and once again spun them with precision.

"Wow she's really good." Said Trudy.

"What if she gets burned?" asked Sammy.

"She's done that for years and hasn't burned herself that whole time." Said Gene. Jay was rather amused. The girl continued her performance, and ended it by putting the torches together and swung it around, putting the crowd on their feet. The drums and music stopped and the crowd cheered. A person quickly grabbed the torches as she stayed in the center waiting. In a few seconds, about nine other dancers came in, all the girls wore the same floral bikini top as the first girl that came in and grass skirts. A spotlight was turned on showing all the dancers in the center. The first girl was still wearing her mask, but managed to have a grass skirt on.

"How'd she change so fast?" Trudy wondered.

"They must've been doing this for so long." Amber was impressed.

The drums began again and another music started playing. The first girl that performed threw her mask on the ground and began dancing to the music. They were much like hula dancers, except with their Xegian style to it.

"Wow this is good." Ram smiled.

"Right on." Slade agreed.

The first girl that performed stood out. Most of the crowd cheered for her when she went to the front of the line of dancers. "That first girl's really pretty." Said Ellie.

"Yeah she is." Said Jack as if he was hypnotized.

"Hey!" Ellie scolded.

"Watch it Jack." Joked Amber.

"She is really pretty though." Said Trudy.

"Who is she?" Jay asked as he stared at the unique dancer with long brownish red hair and light tan skin.

"Why?" Gene asked. "You want to meet her?" Jay stayed quiet as Amber and Trudy tried to act like they weren't paying attention.

"Hey that's Bree!" said Lottie as she pointed at one of the dancers in the front. She also noticed that Gerie, although the shortest, could easily be seen in the middle.

The dancers finished off their tribal dance after two minutes of a mix of belly dancing and hula. "I love this place." Said Ram.

"I want to meet them." Said Slade. "Get their autographs maybe."

"Snap out of it Slade!" said Ebony.

"Oh no Ebony. I think he's found love." Joked Ruby.

"Hey shut it the Princess is going to make her speech!" said Salene.

"WOW. Did you like that performance?" A voice sounded throughout the park as the crowd applauded. It was the first girl that performed with the torches. She smiled and waved at the crowd as she took a deep breath. "Okay here comes the speech my cousin's been so-called warning you about."

The crowd laughed. "That's her!" said May.

"Well people of Xelia, it's been what? A good three years?" she smiled at the crowd. "Truth is, I'm happy that the people are happy. I mean look at us, we have our own city! We have the food, hell we have a mall! We got schools for everyone, I think it's safe to say we've got it good. I think as your princess, I could not be any more proud of the people of Xelia. We celebrate together, and that's what a city does! Now of course I don't want to bore you, but nonetheless I'd like to thank everyone of you. Thank you for making this your Xelia, our Xelia, all of this was for you. Good night everyone and be safe! Thank you."

"That's her?" Jay wondered.

The park began to clear up slowly after the princess finished her speech. "So, shall we go meet her then?" Gene asked the Mallrats.


	4. My Brother

**Chapter 4 – My Brother**

Gene led the Mallrats to the white tent where the princess was. While walking there, Jay saw a young man in the distance that resembled Ved.

"Is that…Ved?" Jay thought. The young man had bleach blonde hair and wore the troop uniform. He soon ran off with other cadets. "Can't be."

"I thought she did a really good job with that whole fire thing." Said Trudy as she walked with Brady.

"I was actually impressed." Amber agreed. "I really didn't know that was actually the princess."

They all entered the big white tent, which was filled with some of the dancers preparing to leave. There they saw Gerie and Bree who were in deep conversation.

"Gerie!" Gene called. "Where's Sheia?"

Gerie turned around to find the Mallrats all waiting intently. "Oh are these?" Gene nodded at Gerie. "Oh, she just went to change first. She'll be right out. I'm Gerie by the way!" The Mallrats greeted her with hi's and hellos.

"Did you like the show?" asked Bree.

"You guys were great!" yelled Lottie. "Can you teach me?"

"Me too! I think I've kept my figure good enough!" said Gel obnoxiously. Salene rolled her eyes.

"Bree have you seen my shirt?" The princess came out of a changing room wearing the bikini top and baggy dark gray sweats. She had greenish-hazel eyes, a pierced belly button, and the tattoos on her arm and lower back. "Oh. We have company."

"Yeah Sheia, these are the ones staying at our house. They came in today." Said Bree.

"Oh!" Sheia turned pink. "Finally I get to meet all of you. I'm Princess Sheia, but please don't call me princess, it's such a drag really. Kind of reminds you of that princess in that Star Wars movie don't you think?"

"She rather prefer you to call her by her first name." said Gene.

"Well um, do all of you have names?" Sheia smiled looking at the Mallrats. They all stared at her and eventually introduced themselves. "Wow that's quite a group. Did you say your name was Jay?"

Jay's eyes widened. "Um, uh yeah."

Sheia stared at him. "You look so familiar, or maybe you just look a lot like someone I know. You have a brother?"

"Um, actually yeah I do. But he's gone, disappeared somewhere." Said Jay quietly.

"Oh I'm so sorry." Sighed Sheia. "Well, hopefully I can remember all of your names by the end of this week. But for now, if there's anything you need you'll find me in the house. So how about we all go back home?"

"Sounds great." Jack nodded.

"Lovely." Said Slade still staring at Sheia.

"Cool it you're stuck with me." Ebony slapped his arm. The Mallrats went back to the vans, and headed back to the house.

"Gel you think you can put baby Bray to bed?" asked Amber.

"Sure!" said Gel.

"Careful." Amber said as Gel went off with her baby.

"Brady you wanna come to?" asked Gel.

"Go on." Said Trudy as Brady followed.

"I think it's time for some sleep." Said Lex.

"Right behind you." Slade agreed. "Comin' Ram?"

"I'll take the elevator." Ram headed down the hallway.

In a few minutes, Sheia arrived with Gerie, Bree, and another girl that they didn't know. "Hey guys!" Gerie yelled.

"Shut it Gerie go to bed you got school tomorrow." Said Bree.

"You guys tired?" asked Sheia.

"Oh yeah." Said Amber as she sat on the couch with Trudy. "That was a really nice festival though. How did you get that all set up?"

"Well we have a different committee every year in charge of the festival. This year's committee's actually good." Said Bree. "Oh, you haven't met our other cousin. This is Lilah."

"Hello." A girl with black hair and purple streaks stood next to Bree. She had deep green eyes and a complexion like Ivan's and Reed's.

"Enough about the festival. I think everyone's pretty tired." Said Sheia. "I'm actually tired myself. Excuse me guys I think I'll go to bed now. See all of you tomorrow morning."

"You gonna lock up Gene?" asked Bree.

"Yeah." Said Gene as Bree walked up the stairs. He headed for the entrance doors and locked it with a code on the number pad. "You guys not sleepy yet?"

"I know I am." Said Jay. "Thanks for everything Gene."

"Seriously." Said Amber. "You've done a lot for us since we came here."

"Nah don't mention it." Gene assured them. "You should thank Sheia for all this. I think she's going to look for some places where all of you can live. And if you guys are going to live here in Xelia, she's willing to look for some jobs for you."

"That's so much." Said Ellie.

"Well, she can handle it. Me? I'm ready to knock out. I'll see you guys in the morning." Gene smiled as he went upstairs.

"Guess we all have to go to bed." Said Amber. "Good night guys." Amber left, and eventually the rest followed except Jay.

"You comin' Jay?" asked Jack.

"Yeah I'll be right up." Said Jay. His memory of his younger brother haunted him. He thought how he was such a brat, but to never see him again was not what he wanted. Eventually Jay went upstairs to the boys' room and fell asleep on his bed.

"Ved!" scolded Jay.

"Come on bite me you pricks." Joked Ved at the prisoners of the Technos. "You guys are so pathetic."

"Cool it." Said Jay. "They're already prisoners they don't need you to make it any worst than it is."

"Whatever." Ved walked away. There was a big flash.

"Ved's gone?" Jay asked.

"Yeah." Said Mega. "I know he was with Chloe, but that was the last time I saw him." There was another big flash.

"Jay you're a miserable brother." Ved's voice said. "Letting me go off like that. You never cared. Now I'm gone. It's all YOUR fault."

Jay woke up. He was having flashbacks of his brother and for some reason, he felt guilty that he's gone. Jay couldn't go back to sleep, so he headed downstairs. It was dark, and everyone else was asleep. He decided to go to the kitchen and look for something to snack on. He entered the big kitchen and headed straight to the refrigerator.

"Can't sleep?" A voice asked. It was Sheia. She was in her pajamas and wearing a robe over it. Half her hair was messy and up in a bun. She turned on the lights. "I can't either. You hungry?"

"A little." Replied Jay.

"Did Gene ever tell you my food's off limits?" Sheia asked.

"Oh no. Sorry." He shut the refrigerator door.

Sheia laughed. "It's okay. At least I know who tried. But don't worry, I think I'll share right now. Ice cream?" She picked out a bucket of ice cream from the fridge.

"Sure." Said Jay as he sat down in one of the chairs in the little bar by the stove. Sheia handed him a bowl of chocolate ice cream and sat next to him with her bowl.

"Jay, right?" She wondered.

"Yeah. Got it right." Jay began eating his ice cream. "What's keeping you up?"

"I really don't know." She replied. "It happens like 3 times a week. Maybe it's insomnia. I don't know. Well, enough about that. I'm really sorry about your brother."

"Oh don't." said Jay. "Hopefully he's safe now."

"It's just, I found out who you really look like. Well, remind me of." She thought. "At first I was like maybe they know each other. Since you two look so much alike. But then, I don't think he's ever mentioned having a brother."

"Who is he?" Jay wondered almost finishing his ice cream.

"He goes to school around here with Gerie. They're best friends actually, he also works part time as a troop. Don't think you know him, his name's Ved." She sighed.

"VED?" Jay's eyes widened. "Is that his name?"

"Yeah. Why?" asked Sheia.

"That's my brother's name." Jay put down his bowl. "I haven't seen him for a long time. That can't be."

"He looks a lot like you." Said Sheia. "If I knew that was the same name as your brother, I would've introduced you during the festival. He was working as a troop."

"How did he get here?" asked Jay.

"It was really strange." Said Sheia. "Gene found him wandering in the forest. He said something about being from a tribe, and come to think of it, he had the same symbol you have on your forehead. He eventually got rid of it, and now he lives with a bunch of his friends in the troop compound, where troops stay if they don't know anyone else they can live with."

Jay remembered seeing someone that looked like Ved, but couldn't believe it. "It has to be him. Is there a way I can meet him?"

"Well he comes over for breakfast sometimes, before Gerie and him go to school. Maybe tomorrow morning." Said Sheia. "It is a Monday."

"That would be great." Said Jay. "Listen princess, I mean…"

"Don't ever do that again." Sheia chuckled.

"Sorry." Jay smirked. "But I think I'm going to bed now. You mind?"

"Sure go on. You need your rest." She nodded. "Have a good sleep."

Jay left the kitchen and headed upstairs to his room. He heard Sammy mumbling when he came in but ignored it, and eventually he fell asleep in his bed.


	5. Reunion and Remorse

A/N: Could it really by Ved? Lol. Well tell me what you think!

**Chapter 5 – Reunion and Remorse**

Jay was able to sleep better. The next morning, pretty much everyone was heading downstairs for breakfast while Jay was still asleep. There was someone knocking at the door.

"Open the door Sammy." Jay was restless in his bed. No one responded. "I said…" He realized there was no one in the room. He was looking for his shirt near his bed but the knocking on the door wouldn't stop. He headed for the door frustrated and opened it.

"Jay." It was Sheia who was somewhat surprised. She had her hair up in a bun, and wore red pants, a white top, and white heels. "Well, everyone's downstairs for breakfast, and Ved's here."

"Really?" Jay's eyes widened. "Did you say anything?"

"Well him and Jack started talking and he asked me if you were around. And well, he's waiting." Replied Sheia. "Might wanna put some clothes on. See you downstairs."

Jay closed the door and looked for his shirt. He headed to the bathroom to clean up a little bit and went downstairs. For a while he forgot where the kitchen was, but eventually walked the right way.

"Oh Jay," said Amber as she passed by. Jay ignored her knowing what she was going to say. He entered the kitchen to find Jack and Ellie in conversation with Gerie and to his amazement, his younger brother Ved.

"Jay." Ved saw Jay enter the kitchen. There was soon an awkward silence in the kitchen. Ved looked like he grew a couple of inches, he wore a school uniform with blue long sleeves and black shorts which he obviously sagged down to his knees.

"Ved…" Jay looked at Ved. He was speechless. After feeling remorse that Ved was deleted and gone, he was happy to see that he was okay. Jay walked towards Ved who stood up.

Ved gave his brother a quick hug. Ellie let out a little 'aww' as they hugged.

"You alright little brother?" asked Jay as they sat down and talked.

"Yeah. Never thought I'd see you again." Ved began eating his cereal.

"I see you got rid of the Techno symbol. What happened to your uniform?" asked Jay.

"Somewhere at my place. Why don't you get rid of your symbol?" Ved wondered.

"Yeah I'll do that eventually." Jay chuckled. "How'd you get here?"

"Honestly I don't remember what exactly happened." Ved shrugged. "I remember soaking wet walking in the forest, and that's when Gene and his troops brought me here. You guys are actually lucky."  
"Really?" Jay asked.

"Really lucky." Said Sheia who was making herself a cup of coffee. "Before all of you came, there's a couple of people that came to Xelia from another island. Since there was an open apartment, they went straight to living there. Since there aren't any open apartments, you guys get to stay here. Like what Ved did, the apartments were being built at the time so he stayed here for awhile till we actually got the troop compound finally put together."

"Well we have Sheia to thank for huh?" said Jay.

"Definitely." Ved agreed. "Well I got to get going to school now. You ready Gerie? Gerie? Where'd she go?"

"She's with Gel putting on makeup." Said Trudy as she fed Brady.

Ved sighed. "It's hard when your best friend's a Barbie." Joked Ved.

Sheia laughed. "Go now before you're both late."

"See you after school Jay." Ved took his backpack.

"Later." Said Jay as Ved left the kitchen. "Wow."

"Finally reunited?" asked Trudy.

"I really never knew I'd see him again, at least I know he's safe." Said Jay as he took a waffle from one of the plates.

"Sheia." It was Lilah. She was wearing a lavender business suit with matching flip-flops. "Here's the list I got from Amber. Looks like a couple of them will still be going to high school this year. Oh and before I forget, the meeting with the cabinet is at ten in the conference room."

"Hmm, okay thanks." Sheia nodded as she drank her coffee. "It's hard not having an assistant around, we have to do every single thing ourselves."

"What list? Sorry to be nosy." Asked Trudy.

"Oh, no worries. Just a list of everyone and your ages, because we stick to the whole high school issue." Said Sheia. "If any of you haven't finished high school, then you have to complete at least one year and pass the exit exam. Fortunate for us, those college students at the breakout of the virus survived so they offered to teach at our schools. I mean, we can't have kids growing up not learning anymore right?"

"That's true." Jay agreed. "So who's going to high school?"

Sheia looked at her watch. "Oh crap. I've got to make some calls right now. I'll let you know later. Please tell everyone to meet in the common room at eleven, that way I can talk to all of you at once."

"Sure." Said Jay as Sheia darted through the door.

"I wonder who's going back to school." Trudy wondered. Salene came in.

"Somebody please tell Gel to shut up." She said as May came in.

"What's wrong?" Trudy asked.

"She's complaining about going back to school." Said May. "I mean she is only what? Fifteen or something?"

"Well she's got no other choice." Said Ellie. "I would think Sammy's going back to school too."

"Well he's okay with it." Said Salene.

"I have a feeling I might go back to school. Maybe for a year." Said Ellie.

"Can't be that bad." Said Jack.

"Salene can you make sure everyone knows to meet in the common room at eleven?" Trudy asked.

"Sure." Salene left with May. For the next couple of hours, some Mallrats hung out in the common room, the rest in the lobby. Jay decided to head to the Quad, where no one hung out. He sat on one of the chairs outside and looked at the view of the city. The city was clean, people were happy, and they had an established government. He was amazed. He never knew that other people pulled through with the Mallrats' goal.

"Hey Jay." It was Amber. Jay had an uneasy feeling.

"Hey." He said as she took a seat next to him.

"Nice out here huh?" said Amber holding baby Bray. "It's good for Bray, it's good for all of us. It's peaceful here, no warring tribes, and everyone loves the princess. It's amazing how the family got together and pulled through. Something we tried to huh?"

"Yeah." Jay agreed. "Well maybe because they all made their decisions carefully, and made sure that they carried it out. They did a good job."

"I guess we can finally focus on other things, like ourselves." Said Amber. Jay remained quiet. "Look Jay, after all those incidents back in the city, I feel horrible. I betrayed Trudy, and I gave into you, and you were taken at the time."

"Amber what are you trying to say?" asked Jay.

"I want to apologize, it was a mistake. I hope you and Trudy are happy." Amber apologized.

"Trudy and I aren't together." Said Jay still looking at the view.

"Oh." Said Amber. "Well, if you need someone, or anything…"

"Thanks Amber." Said Jay.

"Jay." Amber sighed heavily. "This whole time we've known each other, there's always been an attraction. And I just wanted to know, if you want to see if we really have something."

"Amber. I'm not gonna lie to you." Jay stood up and looked at her. "I was attracted to you, for a long time. But now, I really don't see anything more than a friendship with you. Every time we try to get together, something happens. First it was Ebony, and then when I was with Trudy, I basically cheated on her. I can't do that anymore. I already told Trudy that there's nothing between us, and there's nothing between you and me. I don't want to be stuck in a triangle forever. I'm sorry to be straightforward, but I really can't do this anymore."

Amber sighed and stood up. "I guess you're right. You really don't see anything between us?"

"It's space Amber. The only thing that keeps us close is our friendship. I'd rather have you as a friend and nothing else." Said Jay.

Amber's eyes became a little watery. "Well, at least we're still in good terms then. I'll see you later in the common room." She walked away with her baby.

Jay felt bad, but he fully understood that he could never be with Trudy or Amber. If he ever got back with one of them, the other would argue, and it would be going in circles again. Jay paced around the quad, inhaling the fresh hair outside.

"Oh you're here." Said Lex plainly. "I was hoping for some time by myself."

"Yeah me too." Said Jay. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing really." Lex sighed. "Just enjoying my miserable life. I could sure use some alcohol right now. I wonder if Salene has any."

"Doubt it. She promised Mouse." Said Jay.

"Shit." Lex sat on a chair and put his feet up on the table.

"What's biting you?" Jay wondered.

Lex shook his head. "I don't get why Ebony has to be here. She's probably off making out with Slade. She could care less who dies around here, as long as it's not herself."

Jay remembered that Ebony had killed her two sisters, Java and Siva. Lex loved Siva, even if they didn't get along sometimes. "I'm sorry about Siva."

"Stop, don't remind me. It would make me an alcoholic." Lex said frustratingly.

Jay looked at Lex. "You really loved her?"

"Of course I did!" Lex looked down as his voice cracked. "I mean come on! First Tai-San and then Siva! If she escaped with us, I'd be with her forever if I could."

Jay was surprised but remained quiet. Lex was a mess without her. Jay felt bad for him, especially because Lex couldn't see her again. "Hey man, Siva wouldn't want you to be being depressed and angry all your life."

"She'd probably want me to kill Ebony." Lex sniffed. "Shit I'd kill her any day."

"Everyone would want to kill Ebony actually." Said Jay. "Well she can't do anything without her Locos."

"You're right. Can't kill her then." Sighed Lex.

"Look, I'll give you some time to yourself. You look like you need it." Said Jay. "Oh yeah, Sheia wants to meet with everyone in the common room at eleven." Jay left Lex by himself in the quad. As Jay walked in the hall, he thought about how Lex loved Siva, and she probably loved him just as much. Jay wondered if he can find someone for himself and have that kind of love. He shook his head and put aside the idea. "I'm done with triangles."


	6. Guy Talk

A/N: More Ved!

**Chapter 6 – Guy Talk**

"I know, you probably aren't used to going to school anymore. But the city has policies on school." Explained Sheia. "High school is definitely mandatory, and well college is something you choose on your own. We believe that everyone has to learn at least to the same extent. Lilah you have the list?" Everyone was in the common room.

"Yeah." Lilah pulled out a clipboard. "Okay, looks like the ones in middle schoolare Lottie andSammy. For high school, Gel, Ellie, Trudy, Ebony, Slade, Lex, Ruby, and May. We'll arrange a placement test for all of you that way we know what level and grade you're in. For the rest of you, which is Jay, Salene, Amber, Jack, and Ram, you'll take the high school exit exam. If you don't pass, you will have to take a semester of high school and try to pass your second trial."

"Do I really have to go?" said Gel. "I mean, I thought I was done with school once the virus came." May rolled her eyes.

"Actually yes, it's a policy we made up when we got the city back together." Said Sheia. "There was no way that we could eliminate school, everyone should have the same level of knowledge, for some maybe higher. But everyone must meet minimum requirement."

"When will we get to take the placement test?" asked Jack.

"Jack was it?" asked Lilah. Jack nodded. "In about two weeks. Don't worry no pressure, it's basic high school concepts. We all had to go through it here in this house."

"No more questions?" asked Sheiah. Everyone remained quiet. "Okay moving on. Currently all of you are living in the east wing upstairs, which I don't mind since there are no open apartments available. We are currently trying to find out which is the next apartment that is going to open."

"On other matters, are any of you willing to get a job?" Lilah asked.

"I was thinking about it, to support my baby." Said Trudy. Amber agreed.

"Well, minimum age of getting a job is actually sixteen. Anyone under eighteen only work for a certain amount of hours. Those over eighteen, have flexible scheduling. Anyone interested?" Lilah asked.

"Actually I'd like to work, after school of course." Said Ruby.

"Oh yes that's fine." Said Sheia. She gave Ruby a sheet of paper. "Those interested in getting jobs just write your name there and we can probably work some things out."

"I know there's a couple of shops downtown are hiring. I think there are a few at the mall. And well there's Sheia, who actually needs an assistant, but that requires a lot, of course must pass high school and have experience in leadership and communication." Explained Lilah.

"Oh yes, and one more thing before you can all get back to your activities." Said Sheia. "I need you to appoint a leader here. That way I can easily communicate with your leader to pass on information with to everyone else, so I wouldn't have to take all of your time in meetings like this. Look you don't have to make a decision now, whoever you pick make sure he or she visits me in my office sometime today. So that's all for now, thanks everyone for being here."

Lilah and Sheia left the common room. The Mallrats began discussing about who the leader will be. "If they want a leader…" said Ebony.

"It's definitely not gonna be you Ebony." Said Trudy.

"What about you Jay?" asked Jack.

"I don't know, this whole leader role thing could be a big responsibility." Said Jay.

"Well when you think about it Jay," said Amber. "You most likely won't need to go back to school."

"You won't either Amber." Said Ellie.

"Yeah but I was thinking of spending more time with baby Bray. I might try to get a part-time job to support him, so he's my priority." Said Amber. "Just do it Jay."

"It's probably not a lot of responsibility." Said Ruby. "Besides pretty much everyone else has to go to school. And there's no way Ram would do it."

"She's actually right." Said Ram surprisingly.

"Everybody agree on Jay?" asked Trudy.

"Yeah." Everyone agreed.

"Alright then." Sighed Jay. "Can't be that bad I guess. I might as well visit her office now." Jay headed to the office section where the actual conference room was. He read the door that said "Princess" and knocked. He opened the door and saw Sheia on the computer typing.

"Oh, Jay." Sheia looked at him. "Are you their appointed leader?"

"Tragically." Said Jay.

Sheia smiled. "Well, have a seat." Her office had two desks, one was hers and another was in the left corner, but it was empty. She had stacks of papers on her desk and she paid much attention to her computer. "Okay, so you're wondering why I asked for a leader?"

"Well, thought passed my mind." Said Jay.

"Actually after all these things that I have to do, and without an assistant to help me, it would make it easier if I feed information to you and you pass it on." Said Sheia. "I'm actually looking for job openings right now. If I had an assistant I can easily get through with paperwork and managing the city, which reminds me I have to schedule an interview day for the people interested."

Jay realized that it was a tough job for her. She seemed like the type that would stay up working till everything was done. "Um, how about I apply for an interview? You know, as an assistant."

Sheia looked at him in amazement. "You want to be my assistant?"

"Um yeah. Looks like you need help, and I need a job." Said Jay.

"Hmm, well," thought Sheia. "Maybe there could be an arrangement. I'll tell you when the interview is and, take it from there?"

"Sure." Said Jay.

Sheia looked at the watch. "I think Ved should be coming back soon. If I'm not mistaken his school's off early today. Go on, I'll ask for you if I find out anything."

"Thanks Sheia." Said Jay. Sheia smiled as she continued working on the computer. Jay headed to the lobby and actually saw Ved walking to the entrance. "Good day at school?"

"It was alright. Can't wait to get out of school." Said Ved as him and Jay walked to the kitchen. "It's so boring."

Gerie was already in the kitchen. "So what's for dinner Toby?"

"Maybe some pasta. Haven't thought." A tall guy with blonde hair and dark brown eyes in a chef outfit was in the kitchen. "See any hot girls today Ved?"

"Nah." Ved sat down in the mini bar. "Oh Toby, this is my brother Jay."

"Oh you with all those other kids?" Toby asked.

"Yeah. They cause you any trouble?" asked Jay.

"The boy Sammy keeps coming in for food." Said Toby.

"Sorry about that." Jay sighed. "So Ved, what are you doing later?"

"I have to go to my station and work a little bit. You wanna come along?" asked Ved.

"Yeah sure." Said Jay.

"We'll have to walk to the troops complex that I live in, it's a couple of blocks off of the foot of the hill. From there I can take the car to the station." Ved took an apple and bit it.

"Sounds good. Maybe I should become a troop too." Thought Jay.

Ved chuckled. "Techno days?"

"Let me get my jacket upstairs." Said Jay. He left the kitchen and went upstairs to his room. There he saw Ram standing in front of the mirror as Lex sat on his bed.

"I don't know why you have to change your hairstyle to the old days. It's ridiculous." Lex shook his head.

Ram took off the green makeup and the two metal bits on his face. "I don't need to fix my hair anymore." His hair was a lot messier without all the gel making those ridiculous spikes.

Jay gave him a weird look and took his camouflage-print jacket. "Where you heading?" asked Lex.

"Spend some time with the little brother." Jay replied.

"You heading to his station?" asked Ram. Jay nodded. "Can I go? I wanna check it out."

"I guess. Don't even think of turning it into Ram's Palace." Warned Jay. Ram shook his head but followed anyway.

"Ram's coming?" Ved asked.

"Come on Ved, Technos are gone." Said Ram. Ved shrugged. The three of them walked down the hill and to the Troops complex that Ved lived in. It was like an apartment complex, only with a workout gym and training facility. Ram and Jay followed Ved upstairs and into his apartment. There were a couple of other troops sitting down watching T.V.

"Guys, where's the car?" Ved asked.

"It's in the garage." Said the kid with green hair. Ram looked disgusted.

"Come on I'll show you my room." Ved entered his room. There were posters of models on his walls, a messy desk, and his unmade bed.

"It's like an adult shop." Said Ram looking at the posters.

"Why you want one?" Ved opened his closet and pulled out his uniform. "Don't take anything." He left to the bathroom. Jay and Ram looked at all the stuff that was out in his room. Ram found a bunch of pictures in frames on top of a drawer.

"Looks like Ved had a girlfriend for awhile, or maybe still." Said Ram.

"Yeah right." Jay laughed and looked at the pictures. There were a couple of pictures of Ved with another girl with hazel eyes. "Ram, that's Sheia."

"Isn't she older than him?" Ram wondered. In one of the pictures, Ved was kissing her on the cheek as she smiled at the camera. Another one was both of them sitting on a couch. There was one picture of Sheia by herself with her hair fixed elegantly, which looked like it was taken in the kitchen of Sheia's house.

"I would think." Said Jay. Ved came back in wearing a headset and his troop uniform. He threw his school uniform on his bed with some other clothes. "Ved?"

Ved saw them looking at the pictures on his drawer. "What?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?" asked Jay.

"I did." Ved replied. "Probably guessed who it was."

"How many years older is she?" Ram asked.

"She's not older than me." Corrected Ved. "She's actually my age. She never told you?"

"And you're still in school?" asked Jay.

"I thought you were smart." Thought Ram.

"Yeah well after almost like two years living here, I actually took the exit exam for the first time and there was a little bit of history that I didn't know. So I'm just there for a couple of months." Ved explained. "She's way smarter than a lot of people you know."

"So how long…" said Jay.

"Uhh," Ved began. "A little more than a year. Can we go? I'm gonna be late." They all headed out the apartment and to the garage where the car was. Jay and Ram were too interested to stop the topic.

"Come on little brother what happened?" Jay asked when they were in the car.

"Stop hiding the details. This is actually amusing me." Laughed Ram. "Ved actually hooked up with a Princess!"

"Cool it Ram." Said Jay. "Spill it Ved."

Ved sighed. "When I came here, I was found by Gene. So you know, ended up living in the house. When I met her…do I really have to!"

"Keep talking." Complained Ram.

"Fine. I thought she was hot okay? I mean I liked Chloe a lot, but there was something different about her. Smart, athletic, beautiful, and she can take charge. What more can you ask for?" Ved started driving out of the garage. "We started hanging out as friends, and we talked a lot. Eventually I told her how I felt, and thank god she felt the same way."

"Bet you felt good." Said Jay.

"Course I did! Come on she's a princess. So we were together for like a year and a couple of months, and then I finally moved out of the house and into the troops complex. We didn't get to see each other a lot, and a lot of people kept coming in the city. She was always busy, I had to go back to school, and I was a troop." Ved soon became a quiet.

"So what happened?" asked Ram.

Ved took a deep breath. "We decided that after all those things that were happening, it was hard to keep in touch. She was really busy, and I didn't want to take her breaks from her. She was willing to spend time with me when she didn't have a meeting or anything, but I felt guilty because I wanted her to have time for herself too. So it ended like that."

"That's it?" asked Jay. "If you really cared you could've helped her."

"Not when I had things going on for me too. I tried Jay. I did." Ved argued. "It just couldn't work out anymore."

"Ved…" Ram shook his head. "How could you let a girl go? Wait, a girl like her I mean."

"Can we drop this subject!" Ved almost ran a red light. He was frustrated.

"Sorry Ved." Jay apologized. "But hey let me say one thing, at least you didn't end it in a bad note. You'll find someone little brother." With that said, Jay strangely felt a drop of guilt telling his brother that.


	7. Trooper

**Chapter 7 – Trooper**

After the heated topic, Ved, Jay, and Ram arrived at Ved's station in the coastal section of Xelia. It was a two-story blue building in between a business center and a town plaza.

"Almost late there Ved." Said a guy who was walking out of the station. "Lucky Reed's on a good mood today."

"Yeah whatever." Ved went in the station with Jay and Ram following him. "My table's upstairs. I'll show you the way then I have to put my stuff in my locker."

They climbed the stairs in the middle of the first floor. On the second floor, there were a bunch of troops at their tables doing paperwork and chatting with other troops. "Just in time Ved." Said Reed. "Go sign in."

"Yeah." Ved sighed. "Oh this is my brother Jay, and this is Ram."

"Oh yeah I remember you two." Reed looked at them. "You're living in the house right?"

"Yeah. Good place for a station huh?" said Ram.

"Guess you could say that yeah." Nodded Reed. "Well my office is right there in that room so if you need anything, just knock." He walked off telling other troops to get back to work.

Meanwhile, Jay and Ram followed Ved to his desk in the right corner. "Don't mess with my stuff on the desk. I have to go to my locker."

"Jay I don't think he's over his princess." Said Ram. He pointed at a picture frame with a picture of Ved and Sheia at the beach.

"Tough love." Jay had a weird feeling while looking at the picture. Jay saw the post-its on Ved's computer screen. Ved came walking with another troop.

"Yeah Reed left some notes on your screen earlier." Said the troop.

"Shit." Ved saw the post-its. "You know you guys can sit." Jay and Ram took the two empty seats in front of Ved's desk.

"What kind of work do you guys do here?" asked Ram.

"Well since people have been coming here to Xelia, we have to input their profiles into our computers. You know, for identification and records." Ved explained. "Kind of like the barcodes you did Ram. Except all the people that want to be residents here get the Xegian symbol on their neck, like mine."

"So what if someone wants to live somewhere else and move out? Is there a way to take it off?" asked Jay.

"Yeah, but Gene is the one in charge of the new citizens and the tattoos, therefore he's the only one that can remove it. You can try to cover it up if you want, but the tattoo is completely visible for as long as it's there." Ved opened up a folder and began entering a profile.

"Does any crime happen around here?" Ram wondered.

"Occasionally." Ved replied. "Missing people, stealing, the worst we ever got was a ransom case."

"What happens to those who commit the worst crime? Jail?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, worst comes to worst they're sent off the island. Never happened yet though." Answered Ved. "Looks like this is all I have to do today."

"You know what?" said Ram. "I think I want to be a troop."

Jay laughed. "Yeah right."

Ved shook his head. "You want to become a troop? Go to Reed."

"Actually I'll do that." Ram got up and headed to Reed's office.

"What the hell?" Jay was shocked. "He's actually going to do it."

"Well he's going to need luck for his training." Ved continued typing. "Why don't you become a troop?"

"I don't know. What do you think?" asked Jay.

"It's pretty alright. I get good pay and benefits. You can always work part-time. That's what I'm doing." Ved opened his drawer and took out a lollipop. "Candy?"

"No thanks." Said Jay. "See you in a bit, think I'll go see Reed."

"Good luck." Ved pulled out his lollipop. "Hmm…strawberry."

Meanwhile back at the house…

"Hey Lex." Gel sat next to Lex in the common room.

"What do you want?" Lex sat watching T.V.

"Oh I don't know. Just want to talk." Gel smiled.

Lex sighed. "Go bother someone else Gel." Lex sat on the high chair with Slade.

"I don't know why he has to be so mean." Gel rolled her eyes.

"Gel be considerate instead of an airhead." Said May.

"An airhead?" gasped Gel. "If anything, it would be time to move on. I really don't see why he has to keep crying over that Siva girl. She really has nothing on me."

"SHUT UP!" yelled Lex. "Look you little skank I don't need you to be talking about Siva like that."

"Lex…" said Ebony.

"And you!" Lex looked at Ebony. "It's because of you that SHE'S NOT HERE! You just had to be just as stupid as Gel and kill YOUR sisters. I don't even know why you bother being with Slade, I thought 'ZOOT LIVES'?"

"Lex calm down…" said Salene. Breathing hard, Lex stormed out of the common room as Trudy came walking in with Brady.

"Gel you are stupid." Lottie gave her a look.

"Shh." Said May. May gave a dirty look too.

"Jeez." Said Gel.

"Lex is right Gel." Said Salene. "You should shut up."

Ebony sighed. "Don't let him get to you." Said Slade.

"I'm never going to be forgiven. Stop trying to make me think otherwise." Ebony shook her head. "He's right anyways…"

"So you guys wanna become troops?" asked Reed as he paced around his office.

"Well we're interested." Said Jay.

"Any kind of experience with this kind of thing?" Reed questioned.

"Um, we were part of this tribe called the Technos." Said Ram. "Kind of like the police thing. Jay was the general, I was pretty much in charge, till I got overthrown by Mega and all that crap started happening. Sorry."

"Oh yeah Mega, how is he?" Reed stopped pacing.

"You know Mega?" Jay was surprised.

"A long time ago. Don't you know?" Reed wondered. "He's Sheia's brother."

Ram and Jay stood there shocked. "Brother?" Ram asked.

"The brother that left?" asked Jay.

"Yeah." Said Reed. "Why are you surprised? Well, they look nothing alike that's for sure. So how is he?"

There was a knock on the door. It was Ved. "Reed, I have a question. Whoa." Ram and Jay were silent.

"Ved do you know Mega?" asked Reed.

"Well yeah." Replied Ved.

"You know that's Sheia's brother right?" Reed asked.

"Really?" Ved raised his eyebrows. "Well she talked about having a brother but never talked a lot about him, only the fact that he left after the virus. Wow, Mega."

"So what happened to him when you left?" Reed asked Jay and Ram.

"Um, well…" said Ram.

"He actually um, died." Jay said slowly.

"He's dead?" Reed was shocked. Jay and Ram told him about the whole Mega ordeal and how he tried to take over the city, which ended with his death. "Does Sheia know about this?"

"I don't think so." Ved replied. There was an awkward silence.

"Well, she'll find out eventually." Reed nodded and swallowed hard. "Now then, I'll see you at the house and tell you when your training is."

"Thanks." Said Ram as the three of them left the office.

"Did you have a question Ved?" asked Reed before Ved walked out.

"Actually I forgot." Ved walked off.

"She's Mega's sister? How the hell did that happen?" Ram said surprisingly as they walked back to Ved's desk.

"He was probably dropped in birth. Ved did you know that?" asked Jay.

"Honestly no." Ved answered. "Sheia talked about her brother left and all that, but that was it. Never mentioned his name."

"Well that was crazy." Said Ram as he sat back down. It seemed as if the three of them were distracted for the rest of the time they were at the station, even Ved was distracted while he was entering the new profiles. After Ved was done with his work, they all left and headed back to the house. They saw Sheia once they entered the lobby.

"Ved you joining us for dinner?" asked Sheia who had her hair up in a ponytail, wearing a white tank top and black sweats.

"Um yeah sure." Said Ved as Sheia smiled. She began walking to the kitchen.

"Someone has to tell her and it's not me." Said Ram going to the kitchen.

"She has the right to know." Said Jay.

"You think I don't know that?" Ved thought. "Maybe we should tell her after dinner." Jay nodded as they entered the dining room. Everyone was chatting, eating, and watching T.V. There were two separate tables so that everyone had a seat. There were two empty seats in between Ram and Trudy.

"There are two seats here Jay." Called Trudy. "I heard you guys spent some time at the station."

"Yeah we did, thinking of becoming a troop." Jay started putting food on his plate. "Pasta Ved?"

Ved was looking at Sheia in the other table. "Oh, yeah sure. Ram can you pass the hot sauce?"

"You totally missed it Jay." Said Salene.

"Missed what?" Jay wondered.

"Lex totally snapped." Said Trudy. Lex was unfortunately stuck sitting on the same table as Ebony and Gel.

"Gel insulted Siva and Lex just went off." Salene explained. "To make it worst, Ebony was in the same room so he went off at her too, the reason why Siva's not here anymore."

"I really feel sorry for him." Said Amber as she fed baby Bray. "He's gone through a lot. Last thing he needs is Gel to ruin the day."

"Well I'm done, trying to watch my figure!" They heard Gel from the other table. To no surprise, she finished eating.

"Why bother?" May shook her head and drank her soda.

"No one's trying to look at it anyway!" yelled Lottie from their table.

"Lottie!" Ruby scolded. Salene tried not to laugh. After dinner, Ved and Jay went up to Sheia.

"Sheia." Called Ved.

"Yeah?" Sheia wondered. "What's up?"

"Is it okay if we talk to you?" asked Ved. "Alone."

"Um, sure. Let's go to the quad." She looked at both Jay and Ved curiously and walked to the quad.


	8. Truth and Feelings

**Chapter 8 – Truth and Feelings**

"Is there something wrong?" asked Sheia.

"Um, actually we wanted to talk about your brother, Mega." Said Jay.

"You know Mega?" Sheia was surprised an anxious. "Do you know where he is?"

"Um, well he did live in the same city as we did, and we were in the same tribe, the Technos." Said Jay. Ved explained about how Ram was the target but Mega overthrew him.

Sheia sighed. "Well he wanted to take charge after our parents died. Him and my dad never really got along. Well, what happened?"

"He tried to run the city." Said Jay. He continued on about making Amber president and trying to manipulate everyone. Eventually, he talked about virtual reality and the virus.

Sheia was overwhelmed. "Did he come out safe?"

Ved took a deep breath. "Sheia, he tried to fight it, but he died doing it."

Sheia's eyes filled with tears. She tried to talk but was too shocked. "He was my brother, I always prayed he was okay. I know he did bad things, but he's my brother." She sat down on the little couch.

"We're really sorry Sheia, but we couldn't hide it from you." Ved hated seeing her cry. He sat next to her and tried to console her. Jay looked at his brother and saw that he really cared for her.

Jay mouthed, "I'm gonna go" silently and left. Deep inside, Jay was confused about the feeling he had in his heart. Was it jealousy?

"Well at least you told me." Sheia sniffed. "At least you found your brother Ved. I didn't even get to see him ever since he left." Sheia began to cry even more when she talked.

"Come here." Ved wrapped his arm around her as she cried on his shoulder. "I'm here for you." Ved felt her warm tears dripping on his uniform, but he didn't care. She was depressed and overwhelmed with all that was put on her, she needed someone. He stroked her hair as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Maybe it was my fault. Our parents favored me all the time, and my dad always blamed him even if it wasn't his fault. I should've done something, he wouldn't have left. He could've helped with the rest of the family run this city. But he's gone, and I'm never going to see him again." Sheia was sobbing even more.

"Shhh." Ved lifted her up by her chin and looked into her watery hazel eyes. "Don't blame yourself. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to hate yourself all your life because of him."

"It's just hard Ved." Sheia sighed. "He was my only brother, it was just us two when mom and dad died."

Ved wiped her tears with his fingers. "It hurts when I see you cry."

Sheia looked at him and her eyes became even more watery. "You still care?"

"I did say I'm here for you." Ved looked at her lips and had the urge to kiss her. He tried to lean closer, but something stopped him. He leaned back on the couch and sighed. "I should be going soon. Are you okay?"

"Not really." Sheia said softly. "Ved, thank you."

"For what?" Ved asked.

"For everything. You're always there for me." Said Sheia.

Ved took a deep breath. "I really have to go." He stood up and stopped before leaving the quad. Sheia stood up and watched him. "Sheia…even if we're not together, you know I'm always gonna be there."

"I know." Said Sheia. "I'm not gonna lie to you Ved, but I miss you."

Ved turned around and looked at her. Ved suddenly felt a pain in his chest. "I…miss you too. A lot." He sighed.

Sheia wiped her tears. "Sometimes I wish I wasn't princess…"

"Sheia…" He walked towards her. "Don't say that. You're perfect, you get the job done. No one else could do it."

"But we would've still been together." She replied. "You know it Ved, I know you do."

Ved looked at her with guilt. "I would've done anything to make it work…" Sheia was looking at the ground with her arms crossed shivering. "Are you cold?"

"No I'm fine." She insisted. Ved ignored it and wrapped his arms around her, warming her up. "You don't have to."

"I want to." He looked at the clear night sky, and then at Sheia, who was looking into his eyes. He tried to hold himself back, but he couldn't take it. He leaned towards her and kissed her passionately. The feeling of her lips on his gave him the butterflies. Soon, he felt her tongue teasing his lips, which made him want more. Before anything else, he stopped himself. "I'm sorry. I really should go."

Ved left the quad and headed out the door. He heard some of the Mallrats in the common room, but ignored it and went to his car.

"Ved!" Sheia was running after him and finally caught up with him.

"Sheia…I know you don't want a relationship." Ved began. "But obviously I just can't act like it's okay, because it's not. I think about you everyday. Every time I see you I want to hug you but I know I can't. Maybe I should just not come by anymore, it just hurts even more. Maybe we can move on."

"I can't move on." Sheia's eyes were red and out of tears. "I tried to Ved. I want to be with you, but there's always something separating us. If I had a choice I would rather be with you than anything else."

"We can't keep doing this. It's either we're together or not." Ved sighed. Ved wanted to be with her so bad, but there was nothing he could do.

"I want to…" She said softly.

"But you can't." Ved finished her sentence.

"Ved it's not like that. You know what I mean." Sheia sighed.

"I guess I won't be seeing you for awhile." Ved kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight." He got in his car and started the engine. Sheia watched him drive off.

"So Sheia is Mega's sister?" asked Slade.

"Yeah. Crazy huh?" said Ram. "You know Ved used to go out with Sheia?"

"No way." Said Slade.

"He's got 'game.'" Lex chuckled.

"Sure does." Said Jay who was getting ready to go to sleep.

"The kid's got pictures in his room and work." Said Ram. "It's amazing."

"What do you think Jay?" asked Lex. "Think he's got good taste? We all do."

"If you're talking about Chloe, I don't think so." Said Jay as he fluffed his pillows.

"Not her! Sheia of course." Said Slade.

"She's…okay." Jay said awkwardly.

"Booo." Said Ram.

"You suck Jay. Horrible." Joked Lex.

"Whatever guys." Jay closed his eyes and went to sleep with the sound of Sammy arguing with Slade.

Jay woke up and went downstairs to the kitchen. Sheia was eating a bowl of instant noodles in her white and green pajamas. "What are you doing here Jay? I thought you went with everyone."

"Where'd they go?" he asked.

"To the mall. Everyone left. I thought Bree and I were the only ones here. Guess not." Sheia continued eating.

"She didn't go either?" he wondered.

"Nope. She's not feeling well so she's sleeping." Sheia replied. "Thought I could walk around in pajamas with no one around."

Jay laughed. "You look cute in them." Jay wondered why he said that.

Sheia blushed. "Thanks. You know Jay, I always thought you were pretty cute yourself."

"Am I hearing right?" Jay wondered.

"Um, I would think so." Sheia laughed. "I have to admit you do catch my attention."

"That so?" Jay smiled. He walked towards her. "Never thought you'd actually say that to me."

"Did you think it was impossible?" Sheia raised an eyebrow.

Jay looked at her and had the sudden urge to kiss her. To his surprise, he did. "Whoa, did I just do that?"

"Guess so." She smiled.

"I thought you were all miserable after me and Ved told you about Mega." Said Jay.

"Well I was, but I know he wouldn't want me to be miserable forever." Sheia shrugged.

"That's true." Jay was somewhat confused.

"So what do you want to do?" asked Sheia. He leaned in for a kiss again but was interrupted.

"What the hell are you doing Jay!" It was Ved, who was not at all happy. He witnessed his older brother coming onto the only girl he really cared about.

"Ved, it's not what it looks like." Jay tried to explain.

"Don't even." Ved was ready to knock him out.

"WAIT!" Jay woke up and realized he was still in his bed. He was breathing hard and was thankful it was just a dream.

"Go back to sleep." Lex looked at him. Apparently they were all still having a conversation.

"You looked like you were having a seizure." Said Sammy.

"We were just staring really." Said Jack.

"And you didn't do anything?" Jay tried to relax. "What are you all still doing up anyway?"

"What do you care? Go back to sleep." Said Lex. Jay shook his head and covered his face with his extra pillow.


	9. Training Day

A/N: Okay looking at the hits for this fanfic, it's quite a number. I would really love to hear from anyone who's keeping up with the story. It keeps me motivated to continue the story. Oh yeah, thanks "Boo" for the review! On with the story…

**Chapter 9 – Training Day**

Jay was confused about the dream that he had. He woke up in the middle of the night just staring at the dark ceiling. _Do I really have feelings for her? No. I can't. I won't. Ved cares about her. I would never. Maybe it's just a phase? Infatuation. I don't know. I can get over it. I have to. Right? Maybe if I stay away for a while. Oh shit. The assistant thing, I'm gonna have to! I should cancel, maybe it will go away. Yeah, it will go away…I hope._

Jay lied awake till dawn. He couldn't go back to sleep with all those thoughts in his head. He decided to go downstairs to the common room to watch T.V. He entered the room, realizing that someone was already in there. Sheia was watching a DVD movie.

"Sheia…sorry to disturb." Jay was about to leave.

"Oh." Sheia sniffed. "It's okay. Just watching a movie. You can use the other T.V. if you want."

Jay realized that her eyes looked a little swollen and red. There was a tissue box next to her, so he put two and two together. "You okay?"

Sheia sniffed again. "Oh yeah, this movie's so sad."

"It's pretty early to be watching a movie." Said Jay. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Sheia smiled.

Jay sat on the other couch and turned on the other T.V. He knew that something was wrong but he tried not to get himself into anything. "Sorry about telling you about your brother."

"It's okay." Said Sheia. "I had to know right?"

"Look I know it's none of my business, but are you sure you're okay? I mean sure if the movie's sad, but it looks like you've been miserable for hours. No offense." Said Jay.

"It's nothing." Said Sheia. "Well, it doesn't concern you, but I would think it will eventually when you hear about it from someone else."

"Who would?" Jay wondered. "Wait, are you talking about Ved?"

"Never mind, shouldn't have brought it up." Said Sheia. She turned off the T.V. and threw away the used tissue.

"Are you in love with him?" asked Jay. He suddenly felt a pain in his chest.

Sheia looked at him. "He told you about us?"

"Well, we saw your pictures in his room." Said Jay.

Sheia eyes widened. "Really? Wow, I didn't know."

"I don't know what's going on Sheia, but if you ask me he still cares about you." Said Jay.

She sighed. "I know."

"Well why don't you just…"

"No." Sheia said before he could finish the sentence. "Things keep getting in the way, and last night we decided to try to move on. Even though I know it's gonna be really hard, I'll try. That's what he wants."

"I guess." Jay shrugged. For some reason, Jay heard his conscience haunting him again. _What do you want? A new girlfriend or to lose your brother again? Come on she is beautiful, but of course you don't want to be the bad guy. After all, you just reunited with your brother recently. Wouldn't wanna screw things up._

For the rest of the week, Ved never stopped by. Jay tried to avoid any conversation with Sheia, to try to get rid of his "phase." Unfortunately, he was the appointed leader. By Thursday afternoon, Bree told Jay that Sheia wanted to see him in her office.

"You needed something Sheia?" Jay asked nervously.

"Oh, well I have some information for everyone." Said Sheia. "I have a couple of papers for you. Here is the list of places that are hiring, for those who want to work. Here's a schedule that I made, it has the first day of school for everyone who's going to school, and the test dates everyone else should look out for. There's bus stop at the foot of the hill and it can take you to the testing center on that day."

"Wow, thanks." Jay examined all the papers. "You really outdid yourself."

"No it's nothing. Anything to help." Smiled Sheia. "Oh yes, are you still willing to apply to be my assistant? Because if I'm not mistaken, Reed told me that you and Ram want to become troops."

"Oh yeah." Jay remembered that he was over at the station earlier that week. "I don't think I can if I'm gonna be a troop. Is that okay?"

"Oh yeah don't worry about it. You might be bored around here anyway." Sheia smiled. "Oh and before you go, Reed told me to tell you that your training day will be Saturday morning. You're gonna have to wake up early to catch a ride with him."

"Oh okay." Jay nodded. "Thanks for everything." He left her office and went to the common room, where most of the Mallrats were.

"What's that Jay?" asked Amber.

"It's the list of jobs that are hiring and our schedule. Here." Jay handed the papers to Amber.

"Part-time jobs too?" asked Ruby.

"Everything." Said Jay.

"What about the tests that we have to take?" asked Jack.

"It's all in here Jack." Amber gave him the schedule.

"Ram, looks like our training day is on Saturday." Said Jay.

"This Saturday?" Ram was surprised. "Bring it on."

"You guys really going through with that troop thing huh?" Ebony wasn't impressed.

"Just because you have to go back to school doesn't mean you have to ruin this for us." Said Ram. Ebony remained quiet. "Hey, how come I haven't seen Ved around?"

"I don't know." Jay shrugged, even if he knew that his little brother didn't want to see Sheia. Ved never came by, so when Saturday actually came, Jay and Ram saw Ved at the training camp.

"You guys can wait here with the other trainees." Said Reed as he went into the captain's office.

"You guys really gonna do this huh?" Ved came in his troop uniform and headset smirking. "Good luck."

"Can't be that bad." Jay said confidently. That morning, Reed gave Jay and Ram the trainee shirts, pants, and boots. Jay felt rather confident wearing them.

"Suit yourself." Ved laughed. "Well, you guys will most likely be separated. Training's done in groups. Then the individual tests are in a couple of hours."

"Hours!" Ram exclaimed.

Ved smiled. "Hours."

"Trainees assemble!" It was Ivan, Reed's brother.

"See you guys later." Ved walked away and stood next to Reed with his arms crossed.

Gene came out of the captain's office and looked at the trainees. "So you think you got what it takes?" He paced around in front of the trainees. Gene smirked. "Well I guess we really have to see huh? For all of you who are wondering, training is about five hours long, so if you think you can't handle it, you can walk out now. No one? Hmm…determination. I like it. But I doubt you'll like the training. This is the beginning!"

Ivan and Reed separated the trainees into four groups. Ved was right, Ram ended up in another group than Jay. "You are now in groups of five. That is a typical cadet squad, at the minimum. You will go through series of training, and as a group, you will have to work together to earn your place." Said Reed.

It was apparent that Ivan was way more serious than Reed and Gene. "In the last two portions of your group training, you will be working with the female trainees. Now, I stand by this rule and so should you. IF I CATCH ANYONE, FLIRTING OR TRYING TO MAKE A MOVE WITH ANY FEMALE, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE SENT OFF. Training day is not the day to get yourself a girl."

"Take this seriously men." Gene looked at all of the trainees. "From this point on, you address any troop by 'sir' and 'ma'am' once the female troops are here.Any disrespect and disobedience will earn you fifty push-ups. Am I clear?"

"YES SIR!" The trainees responded. Ved smirked at Jay and Ram at the idea. From that point, training began. For the first hour, they had to go through a never-ending obstacle course. All over the course there were troops observing the trainees. Jay underestimated the training, it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. They were first to run two miles around the track as a group, and continue running to the obstacle course. It was all about climbing walls, crawling through vines, and mainly, endurance.  
Lucky for Jay, his group was strong, so he tried to keep up with them the whole time. For Ram, they were the average group, and Ram tried to keep going even if he knew that his legs were killing him. At the end of the course, Gene, Reed, and Ivan were waiting. Ved was lined up with other troops watching from the side. Gene looked at everyone impressed. "Surprised no one fainted. You are given two minutes for water break. Anyone who doesn't come back in two minutes is out. Go!"

The troops ran towards the water fountains by the gym. "That's hell." Said Ram to Jay as they took a breather waiting for their turn at the fountains.

"Hell yeah." Said Jay as he got his turn. "Come on less than two minutes." They started running back to the end of the course.

"THIRTY SECONDS!" yelled Reed.

"Hustle trainee!" It was Ved who was amused at the fact that he was watching his older brother in training. Jay shook his head and met back with his group.

"Time's up!" Gene yelled. "You five, you're out!" There were five trainees struggling to reach the end of the course back in time but couldn't make it. They ended up turning around and were escorted by some troops out of the complex. The groups were then evened out to make it equal.

"Tired already?" Ivan let out a laugh. "That's just the start. Next will be the shooting training. Don't think you will get to relax, because all groups will be given paintball guns and clear out five stations in the course and recover the "survivors" out in all stations."

"In each station there will be targets for you to shoot, each station gets more difficult. If you get hit, you will not continue for the rest of this training, but it will affect your general training." Said Gene. "Put on your gear, you must complete this training in under fifteen minutes."

The trainees put on the protective gear and were given the paintball guns. "Training will commence in three, two, one, begin!" yelled Reed. This part of training required more speed and quick reflexes. In the stations, there were robots that were shooting at the trainees, which made the training difficult. Jay was close to being shot on the shoulder, but was able to find a hiding spot. Two people in Jay's group were shot, so that him and another trainee were left.

"Come on man, two more stations we can take this." Said the trainee. The last two stations had more robots, and the stations were designed to make the turf harder to get around. With only five minutes left, they were able to finish the training.

"TWO MINUTES!" yelled Ivan. Jay noticed that Ram's group wasn't done yet. Luckily, with forty seconds left they pulled through. There were a number of trainees that were shot, but nonetheless they were able to move on.

"These last two portions are combined into one full training." Said Gene. About two and a half hours had passed, and just when they wanted to take a breather, the female trainees arrived. About almost the same number of female trainees arrived from another section of the training complex. Bree was leading the training along with some other troops. "As you can see, a few more members will be added to your group."

Bree walked towards Gene, Reed, and Ivan. She looked at the number of trainees that were remaining and raised an eyebrow. "YOU KNOW THE RULE! AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW IT, THEN YOU MIGHT JUST BE LEAVING SOON." Of course she talked about the rule about flirting or trying to mingle with each other socially. Suddenly a jeep arrived by the captains. Jay recognized it was Lilah, who was wearing her troop uniform, another male troop, and surprisingly, Sheia. She too was wearing the troop uniform, except she had a little silver badge on her collar. Her hair was tied up high, which wasn't usual to Jay, because it revealed her Xegian tattoo on her neck, which unlike everyone else's had a black and red dragon in the middle.

Ved saw that Sheia had arrived and decided to go to the back row of his cadet squad. He didn't want Sheia to see him; even more he didn't want to run in to her.

"ATTEN-TION!" yelled Ivan. Everyone stood up straight once Sheia stood next to Gene and Bree.

"These are all the trainees this month?" asked Sheia.

"Yup. About forty." Answered Gene. "They're about to start the co-ed training."

"Good." Sheia looked at all of them. "NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE LEFT BEHIND. I'll be observing each and every one of you for the rest of the training. Especially for this portion, all groups should finish with each member still present."

Bree nodded at Sheia. "This will be like your first training today with obstacle course, except a little more challenging. Suck it up trainees, BEGIN!" Bree yelled as the trainees began running a mile on the track.

As the trainees began running, Sheia looked around for Ved. She couldn't spot him anywhere; _guess he knew I was coming_. She sighed.

"What's the problem cousin?" asked Bree.

"No it's nothing." Sheia shook her head wishing Ved was around.


	10. Fight

**Chapter 10 – Fight**

Training continued to be intense. The co-ed training was more difficult. Having girls around was an advantage, but it would mean more people would get tired. Luckily, after the group training the trainees were given a ten-minute break while listening to instructions for their individual tests.

Meanwhile, back at the house…

"Hey Lex." Said Slade when he went into the kitchen.

"You remember how Ram said Sheia is Mega's sister?" asked Slade.

"Yeah what about?" Lex wondered.

"Well I don't know if I told you, but Mega's my younger brother." Said Slade.

Lex looked at him weird. "You're kidding yourself, and me. Stop it."

"I'm serious Lex." Said Slade. "I don't know why he didn't remember…"

"Because maybe he's not your brother." Said Lex. "Honestly Slade, you don't look related, AT ALL. I mean Mega and Sheia; I see the resemblance of their skin, but you? I don't see anything."

"I remember he's my younger brother. I know it." Said Slade.

"You sure about that? Wouldn't want to find out that for awhile you were tantalized by your sister's beauty." Lex left the kitchen.

"Ugh." Slade was disgusted.

"Mega's sister?" Ebony came behind the dining room door.

"Yeah, that's what she says." Said Slade.

"And you're supposedly his brother?" Ebony looked at him. Slade nodded. "Don't look a thing like him. She kind of does, in a way. Who knows? Maybe she acts just like Mega, that's why she's got this whole city at her feet."

"Come on Ebony, there's no rebellions so I'm sure she's doing a good job." Said Slade.

"Whatever. I think people are just afraid to cross the line." Said Ebony.

Slade looked at her. "Are you hinting at me that you're plotting something? Because Ebony, no one knows you around here, and honestly not everyone around you is fond of you either. Hate to be honest Ebony, but it's true."

"Well apparently it looks like you're not fond of me either!" Ebony stormed out of the kitchen. Slade sighed.

Back at training…

"This portion you will be tested on your skills in hand-to-hand combat. It's like kick-boxing, in a way." Said Gene. Everyone was now in the gym. All over the gym were circles symbolizing fighting areas. "Everyone will be fighting against one another. Whomever you are paired up with, will be your opponent."

"This will be done in somewhat a tournament kind of style, and it will surely help us decide who will be inducted as a troop." Said Reed. "First part of this individual tests are of course, fighting your trainee opponent. Whoever wins, will challenge our troops. The first trainee to defeat their troop opponent, if that was ever a case, will get a special fight. You will see."

"Make sure all your gear and gloves are on." Said Bree. She was wearing a blue tank top and white shorts. "BEGIN!"

Ved was standing against the wall watching Jay fight his opponent. Suddenly, girl comes up to Ved.

"Hey Ved." A girl with orange hair smiled at him. "How's it goin?"

"Uhh, whatever." Ved ignored her.

"So, I hear you're single. That's great." She tried come on to him.

"Oh really? Well that just means I would have to avoid you." Ved walked away. He continued to watch Jay fight his opponent, who really wasn't much of a challenge. Jay had a lot of experience in hand-to-hand combat. On another circle, Ram was having a hard time taking down his taller and faster opponent. After five rounds, Reed blew the whistle.

"All those that have lost, step out of the circle." Reed looked at all the fatigued trainees. Ved was still wondering how Ram managed to pull through as the winner in his fight. "Troops assemble to your assigned circle."

"Good job Jay." Ved passed by. "Keep those gloves up."

"You my next victim?" asked Jay.

"No I've got someone else." Ved stopped at ring with a boy with bright purple hair and an eyebrow piercing. "What's up?" Ved took off his uniform top, revealing his plain white t-shirt and a silver chain around his neck. He set aside his uniform top and put on the headgear, mouthpiece, and gloves. He also removed his boots and wrapped his feet with athletic tape.

On the female side of the gym, Bree and Lilah had their own fights to deal with as well. Sheia stood next to Gene, who was observing everyone in the gym. Ivan and Reed got their gears on as well, smirking at their opponents.

"This is gonna be good." Said Sheia. "I think I'll go change."

"BEGIN!" Gene yelled as everyone began their fights. Ram was unfortunately matched up against Ivan, who turned out to be an excellent fighter. Ram barely got a chance to land a blow or a kick. In Ved's fight, he was having fun taunting the purple-haired trainee.

"Come on, land a blow. Just one." Ved smirked as he landed a combo. "You know if all our enemies were like me, you'd be blown."

In Jay's fight, it became a little more challenging, but Jay was able to put up a fight. Once the second round ended, Jay's opponent was already tired. Ved had already knocked out his opponent, and Ivan had knocked out Ram. Not one trainee had knocked out a troop yet. In the beginning of the third round, Jay was able to knock down his troop before anyone else.

"Looks like you've got a fight." Said Gene.

"Is that so?" Sheia was wearing a red tank top and black shorts up to her knees. She was putting on the athletic tape on her feet. "Who?"

"Looks like it's Jay." Said Gene.

"Hmph. Well this is gonna be fun." Sheia chuckled. After the five rounds, turns out that only one female was able to defeat her troop and two males defeated theirs. Of course, Jay earned his special fight.

"Jay…impressive." Ved thought as he saw his brother standing.

"So Jay, looks like you've got yourself a special fight." Gene smirked. "If you will, stand in the middle circle in the center of the gym."

Jay waited standing in front of everyone. "So, what's this fight?"

Sheia began walking towards Jay with her gloves on. "Hi."

Jay was surprised. "Are you serious?"

Sheia raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to say?" She shot back. Ved smiled watching her far away.

"Jay…she is our best fighter." Said Gene. "She's been a kick-boxer all her life. You should feel honored."

"Where's your headgear?" asked Jay.

"It's okay, I don't need any." Smiled Sheia.

"Don't hold back Jay." Smirked Bree who was wiping her face with a towel.

"She can take it." Said Reed.

"Five rounds. Three knockouts or if you give up will end it." Announced Gene. "BEGIN!"

Sheia was soon in her fighting stance, a side that Jay never saw before. She paced around him, and even if Jay tried to land a blow or a kick, she'd block it. "Keep still!"

"Never gonna get a hit with that kind of attitude." Smirked Sheia, who landed a blow at his stomach. "Come on."

Jay was afraid to hit her, after all guys don't hit girls. "I can't hit a girl."

"Oh come on don't give me that!" Sheia landed a hook blow into his face and a kick to his thigh.

"Good girl." Ved said to himself smiling.

Jay never felt embarrassed ever. He soon saw her as another opponent and not a girl. Jay tried to pull a combo but only landed one kick to her thigh. The trainees and troops erupted with "Oooo." Sheia threw some jabs and another combo, which surprisingly Jay made a good effort to block. Jay caught her off guard and landed a blow to the face.

Sheia stepped back and smiled. "Someone's mad." She joked. Sheia began a barrage of clean punches to his head and stomach, making Jay feel a little dizzy. She then did a high kick to his head, making him fall to the ground.

Reed played referee and began counting as Jay was getting himself together. By four, Jay was up on his feet. "Good one." Said Jay. He tried to land kicks to her lower body, but she countered with a punch to his chest. He pulled a combo on her trying to break through her blocks, and finally got her with an uppercut. Luckily, the round was over.

"That was a close one." Said Sheia drinking from a water bottle and wiping herself with a towel.

"Round two!" said Gene. "Come on Sheia, beat him up. No offense Jay."

Jay laughed. "Come on Jay!" Ved yelled.

Sheia stopped and looked around. Ved noticed she was looking around for him so he hid behind a group of loud troops. Sheia didn't see Ved so she concentrated on beating Jay. As the round began, Sheia threw combos of punches and kicks and finally knocked down Jay once again with a left hook.

Jay felt like he was seeing double. "No way…" He said struggling to get up at the count of five.

"Shake it off." Sheia smirked. For some reason, Jay felt angry and got up and started throwing punches at her. She pushed him off and kicked him in his thigh and his stomach. He went at it again trying to throw her off with his kicks. She blocked two of them, but the last one brought her to her knees.

"OHHHH!" The trainees yelled.

Sheia let out a little laugh and got up at the count of three. "I'm definitely putting you out." She said as she got up.

It was the third round. Both fighters were going at it like they wanted to kill each other. Even though Jay wore a headgear, Sheia managed to make his cheek swollen. With frustration, Sheia shot a straight blow to Jay's face, which brought his whole body down. Reed began counting again. Sheia was taking deep breaths waiting for Jay if he ever got up.

"You getting up or what?" asked Ram.

"Huh?" Jay tried to pull himself up, but before he finally did, it was ten. Sheia had won the fight. Ram helped Jay remove his headgear and gloves. "I lost huh?"

"I saw it coming from the start." Said Ram.

Sheia removed her gloves while talking to Bree and Gene. She looked at Jay and walked towards him. "That's a pretty good fight you put up. Got me good a couple of times."

"I honestly didn't think…you would punch that hard." Said Jay taking a breath.

"You're swelling up." Sheia saw his swollen cheek. "Reed, you think you can take him to infirmary?"

Reed came over. "Oh yeah that cheek needs some ice, if only we had some cold iron. Come on." Reed and Ram walked with him as they exited the gym.

"Wow, I'm tired." Said Sheia.

"That was a good one though." Said Bree. "Lilah was close to being knocked out."

"Whatever I so had her." Joked Lilah.

Sheia looked around. "Um hey, you guys happen to see Ved around?"

"Ved?" asked Bree. "I thought I saw him earlier. I don't know."

"Oh." Said Sheia. "Well, good job ladies." They walked towards the locker room as Sheia looked around for any sign of Ved.


	11. Memories, Demand, and Reappearance

A/N: Please review! I might stop writing this fanfic if I don't see that anyone's keeping up with the story. It would be alot of help.

**Chapter 11 – Memories, Demand, and Reappearance**

"We'll tell you if you made it by next week." Said Reed as he watched Jay getting treated for his swelling and minor bruising.

"I got beat up pretty badly huh?" said Jay as the troop nurse put ice on his cheek.

"I'd say worst than me." Commented Ram.

Reed chuckled. "Well you did pretty good against her, it's just she threw hard punches at you."

"Hey, how's everything in here?" It was Lilah she changed back into her uniform and watched Jay. "Hurting?"

"Not that much, okay yeah it does." Jay tried to deny it.

Lilah smiled. "Good job though. Are you going to come back with us home or are you going back to the station?"

"I'll be in the station for a little bit." Said Reed. "I'll probably go home in an hour."

After being treated by the nurse, Jay, Ram, Lilah, Bree, and Sheia got in their jeep. "All set?" asked Bree.

"Yup." Said Sheia who was in the front seat.

"Sheia I got a call from one of your cabinet members." Said Lilah.

"Really? Who would that be?" asked Sheia as she brushed off a little dirt on her uniform.

"Raven." Said Lilah.

"Shit." Said Sheia. Jay and Ram stared at her as if they heard something shocking. "Yes guys, I curse like everyone else. Anyways, Raven? What does he want now? I swear, sometimes I think he wants to be Princess, even though he's indecisive and irresponsible."

"You're not gonna believe it Sheia, but I think he's trying to get you out of the whole Princess deal." Said Lilah.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Sheia yelled.

"Apparently not." Lilah shook her head. "He told me he's got a list of citizens that think that you're incapable of running the city by yourself."

"By myself!" said Sheia. "I've been doing it ever since the breakout of the fuckin virus! What does he want me to do? Get a Vice-Princess!"

"What is his problem?" said Bree. "He's always the one in cabinet that tries to disagree with everything. I don't know why people even vote for him."

"I don't know Sheia, but he wants a meeting with you ASAP." Said Lilah.

"Ugh." Sighed Sheia. "Tell him I'll meet with him in an hour. If he's late he can forget about it."

Once they got back to the house Slade, approached Sheia. "You're a troop too huh?"

"Yeah. And a ruddy Princess." Said Sheia.

"Listen, do you mind if we talk?" asked Slade.

Sheia looked at him weird. "Sure, come we can go to my office." They headed to Sheia's office as she laid her troop bag on the floor. "So, is there something wrong? Anything you need?"

"Um, I heard that you said you're Mega's sister." Said Slade.

"Yeah." She sat on her chair.

"I don't know how to say this, but I'm his older brother." Slade explained.

"Brother?" Sheia wondered. "I remember my whole childhood with him. Our parents never mentioned another son."

Slade suddenly felt a pain in his head. "Ugh…"

"Are you okay?" asked Sheia.

"I know it, he's my brother. I remember." Slade told himself.

"Do you have a picture of you two?" She asked.

"No, actually I don't." replied Slade.

Sheia opened her drawer and pulled out a little notebook. She opened it to the back of the notebook and pulled out a picture. "Here." It was younger picture of both Mega and Sheia sitting together on a carpet. Sheia looked like she was still in elementary school while Mega looked like he was making a transition to being a teen. Mega already had glasses, except it had a thinner frame.

Slade looked at it surprised. "Then why do I remember him being my brother?"

"Where were you at the breakout of the virus?" asked Sheia.

"I…" Slade suddenly felt like there was a flash. "I was with Mega. I think."

"Slade…" said Sheia. "When my parents died, Mega was with me for awhile. When me and my cousins wanted to make the best of the city, he wanted out. So he left."

"This is just too weird." Said Slade. "Why do I remember him?"

"Do you remember anything in childhood?" Sheia wondered.

"Um, I just remember spending time with him…" Slade was confused. Now he was confused about what he remembers. Suddenly, his head started hurting even more.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sheia got up and walked towards Slade.

"My head's hurting, a lot." Said Slade.

"Come on, I'll ask Lilah to take you to the hospital." Sheia helped Slade up and called for Lilah.

"What's wrong? I heard you all the way from my room." Lilah rushed downstairs. Some Mallrats came out of the kitchen and common room to see what happened.

"Slade, you okay?" asked Ebony.

"Take him to the hospital. He's not feeling well." Said Sheia. Lilah nodded as she got her jacket.

"Can I come?" asked Ebony.

"Sure." Lilah and Ebony helped Slade into the van and took off.

"Hate to bring you the news cousin, but Raven's on his way." Said Bree.

"Oh god." Sheia sighed. "I need some aspirin."

In about half an hour, a tall man with dark hair, dark brown eyes, and a distinct look arrived outside the house. He walked towards the entrance and scanned his card at the door. He opened the door and saw Jay and Jack in conversation in the lobby. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Uhh…" said Jack.

"Raven stop trying to act like this is your house. Sheia's waiting for you in her office. Don't keep her waiting." Said Bree plainly.

"Training I see?" said Raven as he passed by Bree and headed to Sheia's office. When he knocked on her door, she was drinking a glass of water trying to calm herself down. "Ah, Sheia. I hope you got my message this morning when you were at the training complex."

"I got your message." She said plainly. "Now what the hell are you trying to do?"

"It's not just me Princess." Raven said coolly as he took a seat. "Got a few feedback from some citizens."

"Why do you torment me?" Sheia gave him a dirty look. "I've been running the city on my own, ever since the virus. And all of a sudden I need someone by my side?"

"Well Princess, if you haven't noticed you don't have an assistant, you're also a Xegian troop, and you're basically doing this all by yourself. What if someday you're just going to breakdown in the middle of a crisis?" said Raven.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Sheia rolled her eyes. "And what, you expect me to marry some guy and call him 'Prince!'"

"Someone who can run the city as well." Suggested Raven.

"I don't believe this. And you know what?" Sheia stood up and opened the door. "I want a meeting with the cabinet next week. Now, OUT."

"You never know Princess, some people in your cabinet agree." Raven smirked.

"I'm not going to meet any of your concerns. I give what the people want, not what the cabinet wants." Said Sheia plainly.

"Oh you'll see what the people want." Said Raven as he left the house.

"So what happened?" asked Bree.

"He says that there are other people in the cabinet that agree with him." Sheia shook her head. "I mean he did make a point, that I've been juggling things by myself. And now, he's just waiting for me to mess up."

"Come on, you need some coffee." Said Bree as they walked to the kitchen. Amber, Salene, May, and Jay were in the kitchen having a snack.

"How did that little meeting go?" asked Jay.

"Horrible." Said Sheia as she took a seat beside Jay and Salene. "I don't need that crap right now."

"I heard about that." Said Amber. "That's ridiculous your people love you. You're doing such a great job at it too."

"Decaf Sheia?" asked Bree.

"No, I need caffeine today." Sheia shook her head. "So we're going to have another cabinet meeting next week, that way we'll see how we're gonna deal with this."

That following week on a Friday, Sheia scheduled a meeting with the cabinet. Sheia was on coffee that whole week stressing about the meeting.

"Meeting is in half an hour. Cabinet's starting to arrive. This is gonna be hell." Said Lilah who was also up on her toes.

Sheia shook her head. Suddenly, her communicator was going off. She put on her headset and pressed the button. "Sheia here."

"Sheia, it's Gene. Looks like I've found another person that arrived here in Xelia with another identity crisis." Said Gene.

"Just one person?" asked Sheia. "Where?"

"Here in the beach. I was driving in Coastal Avenue to Reed's station and I saw a girl floating on a piece of wood. She's about 5'3, dark skin, dark hair, and looks about to be sixteen to eighteen years old. I called Reed to bring some cadets to bring her to the hospital. She went unconscious not long ago." Said Gene.

"Good. Make sure you bring her to Emergency, we wouldn't want her to be infected with the virus." Said Sheia. "Does she have a name or say anything else?"

"When I found her she looked like she could barely make it. She said something about being lost in a game and that was it. I asked her if she knew where she came from or if she had any friends with her but she didn't say anything." Gene replied.

"Hmm…no name?" asked Sheia.

"She said her name was Chloe. She knocked out right after that." Gene answered.

A/N: When you thought there was drama already, there's even more lol.


	12. Cabinet Meeting

**Chapter 12 – Cabinet Meeting**

Gene finished giving his report to Sheia, but she had more things to deal with. Almost all the members of the Cabinet were there, and she was ready for an argument.

"How you feeling?" asked Lilah.

"Anxious, angry, frustrated, could I be any more stressed?" said Sheia. "Fuckin Cabinet."

"Calm down cousin, you'll be fine. We're behind you a hundred percent." Bree assured her. "Come on, we have to start the meeting soon." The three girls walked to the conference room. There was a long table with seven seats, four seats already filled with Cabinet members.

"Good morning Princess." Said a black girl with long straight black hair and light brown skin.

"Hello Yari." Greeted Sheia. "Everyone here?"

"Just about." Said Lilah as she took her seat with Bree. Sheia took her seat and looked at all her cabinet members.

"Since everyone's here, might as well start." Sheia began. "As you all know, I called this meeting because of an issue that was put upon me last week. I'm sure you all know about Raven's proposition?"

"Yes Princess." Said Kendall, a guy with short blonde hair.

"Okay, honestly I think it's ridiculous." She said plainly. "I've been in this position for so many years already, and I believe that Xelia hasn't been in a bad state since the rebellion when I was about to be given this position."

"Pardon me Princess, but we do know how good you are at your job." Said Yari. "But honestly, you've got so much load to take care of. We really think that you need someone to rule with you."

"I don't see why all of a sudden she has to marry someone with all this pressure." Said Bree. "What about the citizens? They haven't complained."

"It's not that they complain." Yari argued. "They too feel that what if someday the princess won't be able to handle all the things that are going on, there has to be someone second in command."

"And how did you find out about what the citizens want?" asked Sheia.

"Simple." Said Raven with confidence. "Went around, talk to students, workers, and about sixty-five percent think it would be better for you and the city to have another leader by your side."

"Honestly, I don't plan on getting married anytime soon." Sheia argued. "And I honestly don't want to. I think I should be given the choice when I can marry and who I want to marry."

"Princess you are going to face consequences." Said Zerg, a tall lanky guy with orange hair and blue eyes.

"Consequences!" said Sheia surprisingly. "Since when are you to decide my fate?"

"We all agreed." Said Raven. "You have to marry or else you are impeached."

"IMPEACHED!" yelled Sheia. "I've never heard anyone with that sick gutless plan!"

"How can she be impeached when the people are pleased with what she does?" Lilah wondered.

"So you think." Said Kendall.

"If you truly say that this is what the citizens think, I WANT PROOF." Said Sheia. "My priority is the people."

"Well then, we'll certainly gather some citizens that agree with our proposition." Raven smirked.

"How do you even suppose she's gonna get married?" said Bree. "She's not in a relationship and who would ever be qualified to take the position?"

"Well there are eligible bachelors that have leadership skills right?" Raven gave Sheia a look.

"You disgust me." She said plainly.

"Really? Because you never know…" said Raven.

"NEVER KNOW WHAT? Don't push it." She scolded.

"This is ridiculous." Said Lilah. "If I didn't know, I would say that someone wants power."

"It's not about power," Said Kendall. "We know very well that at some point, no offense princess, but she will eventually be incapable of tackling all conflicts in Xelia."

"Excuse me?" said Sheia. "If anything, I would say my cabinet is against me. Am I right?"

"Sorry Princess," said Yari. "But it is the truth. It will happen."

"Unbelievable." Said Sheia. "GET OUT! THIS MEETING IS OVER." Yari, Zerg, and Kendall were startled by Sheia's temper and quickly gathered their belongings and left. Raven slowly got up and smirked.

"You'll see it eventually." Said Raven.

"You think I'm stupid?" Sheia said angrily. "I can see right through you. You want something I have, and you're gonna manipulate people to see otherwise."

"Hmph. Suit yourself." Raven left the conference room. Sheia sighed and sat herself on her chair.

"Is this really happening?" sighed Sheia.

"If you ask me," said Lilah. "I'd say that Raven wants power. If I'm right, he'll come on to you."

"That's disgusting." Said Bree. "He's irresponsible, what makes him think he's right for the job?"

"They're putting me in a position in which eventually, I won't have any choice but to go with it." Said Sheia. "If I refuse, they'll point the finger and say I'm not giving what the people want. And as princess, that is my job."

Sheia was officially stressed. She didn't pull through with getting assistants after the amount of workload she already had. Maybe they're right? No, they're not. For the rest of the day, Sheia constantly kept trying to get all her paperwork done. During dinner, Sheia was exhausted at the table.

"What's wrong Sheia?" asked Trudy.

"Oh, nothing." She replied. "Just a hard-working day. Finally, I can relax with some comfort food." She took some friend chicken from the serving bowl.

"Oh yeah, good news for you Jay, and Ram." Said Reed as he swallowed his food. "Looks like you guys are officially troops."

"Are you serious?" Jay was surprised.

"We actually made it?" Ram gasped.

"Yup." Said Reed. "I'll hand you your letters tomorrow. You'll start working in about a week."

"That's great guys." Said Salene. "You will actually have something to do."

After dinner, the Mallrats headed to the common room. Sheia began walking upstairs.

"You're not gonna watch a movie?" asked Bree.

"No…I'm really exhausted. I'll see you in the morning." She went to her room, which was a bright and colorful. She had red curtains and a carpet that ran through the first half of her room. The first half was somewhat like a mini living room, with a sofa, table, and T.V. The other half was her bed, her dressers, and a walk-in closet. There was a little daybed by the window, where Bree would take a nap occasionally after girl talks. Sheia changed into her pajamas and went to bed. "Marriage…it's way too early for me. I'm out of a relationship, what good is that going to do?" She thought, eventually going to sleep.

Four hours later, Sheia woke up. She was having trouble sleeping and laid staring at her ceiling that she and Bree painted to make a blue sky. She got up and went downstairs to the dark lobby. Everyone was asleep, so she went to the kitchen to get ice cream. She opened the fridge and found mint chocolate ice cream. "I guess this will do."

She sat herself down putting ice cream into her bowl. She stared blankly at the wall. "Trouble sleeping?" It was Jay.

"You too?" asked Sheia.

Jay blushed. "I was actually hoping to get a little snack when everyone was asleep."

She smiled. "Come on, mint chocolate." She got up and grabbed a bowl and a spoon for him.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Jay as he got some ice cream. Sheia sighed. "Well, it's not my business anyway."

"I'm just troubled." She began. "My cabinet is totally trying to get me to mess up."

"How so?" he wondered.

Sheia played with the ice cream with her spoon. "They think I should get married, have someone by me to run the city. Apparently they think I'm gonna mess up and I'm already stressing over the workload."

"Married?" He exclaimed. "That's your choice."

"Exactly." She said. "But I'm known for giving the people what they want, and every time I give them that, I know it's something they need. Right now, I don't know if that's what they need."

"Or what you need?" said Jay.

"Yeah." She sighed. "I mean I'm so out of a relationship. I can't think of anyone who I can possibly marry. And if this is really what the people want, I have no choice. They're already threatening impeachment."

Sheia's hazel eyes were a little watery as Jay looked at them. He suddenly felt the urge to hug her, but fought the temptation. "Well, if you had to marry someone, you would have the choice on who you want to marry right?"

"I hope, but I can't rush things with someone right?" She said. "I was hoping marriage would be something to look forward to. You know, the time I found someone that I grew to love and will love for the rest of my life. When I think about it now, I won't get that chance."

"Maybe you will." Said Jay. "You never know, someone out there really cares about you. And you will get that chance."

Sheia smiled. "You know Jay, you've been nothing but sweet and considerate since you came here. Thank you."

Jay smiled nervously. "Don't worry about it. You can talk to me about anything."

Sheia said goodnight and left the kitchen. Jay sighed and buried his face in his hands. _What am I feeling? I get so nervous around her…I'm holding myself back. Someday it's gonna come out and Ved will kill me. I'm slowly falling for her…and I can't do shit about it._


	13. Back to School

A/N: Thanks for the review "Eli"! I'll give u more on the school details probably in the next chapter ). But for now, enjoy and keep the reviews comin!

**Chapter 13 – Back to School**

The following week most of the Mallrats had to go back to school. Sammy was up early eating his breakfast with Lottie and May.

"This is gonna be some day." said May.

Gel came into the kitchen as if she was going to a party. "Hopefully there will some good-looking guys that will notice me."

"With that kind of makeup Gel, everyone will." Said Ellie as she lazily took a seat at the table.

"Are you sure everything will be fine?" asked Trudy holding Brady when she came in. "I mean you've already got baby Bray to take care of."

"Don't worry Trudy." Assured Amber. "Me and Salene can take care of them both. You have nothing to worry about. I promise."

"What time does the bus get here?" Lex asked. "I haven't even eaten anything yet."

"Your bus comes in about twenty minutes so hurry up." Said Amber. "Anyone seen Jay or Ram?"

"They're sleeping in." said Sammy.

"Everyone's up and early." Lilah came in wearing a robe and duck slippers.

"Yup." Said Amber. "If you ask me it's pretty hectic in here. School hasn't even started yet."

"I think I'll come back when everyone's gone. Too much adrenaline in here." Joked Lilah as she left.

In less than ten minutes, the kitchen emptied and then noise followed the Mallrats outside the house.

"All of you better stay out of trouble!" yelled Salene as they headed down the hill.

"It's actually going to be a little more quiet around here." Said Amber. "I hope Sheia can find all of us a place to live. I would love to start working and supporting baby Bray."

"Come on Amber, let's go get some breakfast." Said Salene.

Meanwhile in the West wing upstairs, the family was getting dressed for their day. "Gerie! Did you leave yet?" yelled Bree.

"Bree, she's running late." Said Gene as he came out of the bathroom with his uniform pants and a white shirt. "GET A MOVE ON GERIE!"

Gerie came out of her room scrambling for her books. "You better run downhill kid." Said Ivan as he headed to the bathroom.

"I got this one first! Go to yours!" Lilah beat him to it.

"Dammit!" yelled Ivan. "Hurry up Reed!"

"What the hell is all that noise?" Jack woke up.

"It sounds like people fighting." Ram covered himself with the blanket. "Make it stop…"

"Jay…" said Jack.

"Shit. Fine." Jay got out of bed wearing pajama pants and without a shirt. His bleach blonde hair was messy, but was really annoyed by all the bickering.

Sheia came out of her room wearing a towel and fluffy red slippers. She began banging on the bathroom door. "LILAH! MY CLOTHES ARE IN THERE!"

"Gerie? What are you still doing here!" Bree yelled as Gerie ran downstairs and out the door.

"REED! HURRY UP!" Yelled Ivan.

"Hurry up Lilah!" yelled Bree.

"OH MY GOD!" complained Sheia. "Bree, do I have a meeting today?"

"Ask Lilah!" said Bree irritably.

"Bree where the hell's my top uniform?" Gene argued.

"SHUT UP!" Jay yelled standing outside his door. Jay saw the cousins standing in their hallway and froze. Jay realized what he had done and soon regretted it. "I am so sorry bout that. You know, um, sorry we were just sleeping."

"Oh no." said Bree.

"Don't worry about it man." Said Gene.

"Sorry for all the disturbance." Said Sheia who realized she was just in a towel. She turned scarlet red and dashed back into her room.

Jay was more than awake. "Uhh, thanks I'll just go back to bed now."

"LILAH GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE I NEED MY CLOTHES!" Sheia's voice was faint as she yelled from her room.

"What was all that yelling?" Reed came out of the bathroom fully dressed in his uniform. Bree, Ivan, and Gene gave him a malicious look. "What?"

"You could be such a girl." Ivan shook his head and went to the vacant bathroom.

Reed walked downstairs touching his spiky dark brown hair. He arrived at the kitchen and found Amber and Salene in conversation. "Good morning ladies."

"Good morning." They both greeted him.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Said Reed as he pulled out a glass from the cabinet.

"You wanna go take a walk Brady?" asked Amber. Brady smiled. "Come on. Can you watch Bray for me Salene?"

"Yeah sure." Salene agreed. Amber walked with Brady out of the kitchen.

"Is the other one yours?" asked Reed as he poured himself some orange juice.

"Oh NO. Never. I could never be able to handle having a baby at this time." Said Salene. "I'm surprised how Trudy and Amber even do it."

Reed took a seat next to Salene, which made her a little nervous. "I don't think we've met properly. I'm Reed."

"Salene." She smiled shaking his hand. "So, you're off to work?"

"Yeah, got to get to the station in half an hour." Said Reed. "What about you? I see you don't have to go back to school."

"I'm thankful actually." Said Salene. "I'm hoping to maybe get a job or something."

"Well, I know there's a café near the station I work at. If I'm not mistaken, I think they're hiring." Reed drank his juice.

"Which café was that? I saw a couple of cafés that are hiring on that list Sheia gave us." Salene wondered.

"I think it was called Jungle Java Café?" Reed thought. "If you'd like, I can take you there this weekend. I know the manager. Besides, I've got the day off."

Salene blushed. "You'd do that?"

"Sure." He nodded. "Unless you know anyone else that would want to come along?"

"Um," Salene tried hard not to say no. "I'll see if anyone else is interested."

"Give it some thought." He finished his glass of juice. "Now I've got to get going, see you later Salene."

"Bye." Salene blushed. After Reed left, Amber came back smirking.

"Don't think I don't know you Salene." She sat down. "So, how was the conversation?"

"Well he's willing to take me to this café that's hiring, since you know I'm looking for a job." Said Salene. "But I'm gonna have to see if anyone wants to come along."

"Oh come on Salene you know you want it to just be you two." Amber joked. "Just go with it. It'll be fun. Besides, I'm planning to go with Ruby, Ellie, and Trudy this weekend to go around the city, explore a little more and find those places that are hiring."

"Hmm, I guess then." Salene shrugged.

A couple of hours later, Jay and Ram eventually woke up. Jay took a quick shower and went downstairs to eat his breakfast. On the way to the kitchen, he passed by Lilah.

"Oh Jay." Said Lilah. "Sheia wants to see you in her office after you eat breakfast." Jay nodded and went to the kitchen. He saw Salene looking through the list of jobs.

"Morning Salene." Said Jay.

"Hey." Said Salene. "You're actually awake."

"Yeah." He chuckled. "I had a good sleep." He made himself a grilled cheese sandwich.

"All these jobs…I really have to look into this." Salene sighed. "I really wanna earn some money."

"Good luck with that." Said Jay eating his sandwich. "I'm still waiting to find out if I made the cut from troop training."

"Wow." She nodded. "Well, good luck to you too."

"Thanks." He swallowed the last piece. "I'll see you later, gotta meet Sheia at her office." He left the kitchen and walked casually to Sheia's office. He walked in and found Sheia looking through some sheets of paper wearing black-framed glasses.

"Jay." She looked up at him. "Sorry about that yelling this morning. It's just one of those days. Have a seat."

"Oh no, don't worry about it. I'd probably do the same if I was rushing." He laughed as he sat down. "So anything new?"

"Actually yes." Smiled Sheia. "I found a house, that would actually fit you and your friends, considering that all of you are sharing rooms."

"That's great!" He said excitedly. "How'd you find that out?"

"Turns out there's a group of kids that were living there are moving out of Xelia." Said Sheia. "They found some other relatives outside of Xelia, and they're all planning to make the move somewhere else. Start a new life I guess. It's got five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a big kitchen, dining room, family room, and a den."

"Wow that sounds like a good place to live. I'm sure we can fit everyone in there." He nodded. "But, we can't possibly pay for the house."

"Oh don't worry about that." She assured him. "Will give you a couple months and we'll cover the charges for the house. That way everyone has time to find jobs and pitch in. Don't worry about it. We'll also help set up the house for you, like how many beds you need, tables and chairs…those things. The kids that lived there actually left some furniture that you can use."

"I can't tell you much you've done for us." Said Jay. "We'll definitely get money as soon as we can so we can pay it off."

"Don't worry." She smiled. Suddenly, her communicator went off. It was Reed. "Sheia here. Yeah? How's the girl? Oh okay, another week I guess. Oh yes, how's Slade? Yeah check on him, can't be too serious. Oh Reed, do you have any spare troops at the station? Yeah, you think you can send them over to that house on Port Street? Yeah that one. Try to start fixing things up over there. Uh huh, yeah sure. Okay then, just contact me if anything."

"How's Slade doing?" asked Jay.

"Well Reed's going to check on him right now, but I'm sure he's fine." Said Sheia. "But anyways, the house should be ready in about a week or so. It's not that far from the school or the coastal troop station, so I'd think it's a good location. Other than that, you're free to go."

"Thanks Sheia." Smiled Jay.


	14. Karma and Welcome Notes

A/N: Wow you're really catching on to my plot Eli. I'm not giving away any major hints though! But I have something in mind for Trudy that I know and yes, younger brother will meet the girl…again. gasp

**Chapter 14 – Karma and Welcome Notes**

The next week was almost as stressful for Sheia. Raven would drop by making random visits to tell Sheia of his progress with gathering citizens for his little propaganda. At one point, Gene almost had to literally throw him out of the house. School was catching up with the Mallrats as well.

"Oh my god Salene." May came running to Salene in the common room after a day at school. "You won't believe who talked to me today."

"Who might that person be?" She wondered.

"Remember the lead singer in that one band at the festival?" said May. Salene nodded. "He's actually in my Math class and surprisingly, I had a conversation with him."

"Really?" Salene was intrigued. "So what's next? Walks on the beach?"

May blushed. "I don't know about I hope this goes somewhere. What about you and Reed? You never told me about your weekend with him."

"Could you be any louder?" she scolded, but later she smiled. "He's great. I could talk for hours with him, and I think I might be getting a job soon."

"At least you're having a good day at school." Gel came in and threw her bag on the couch. "These girls were picking on me about my makeup. I think they're just jealous."

"I think they speak the truth." Ruby smirked as she took a seat next to Salene.

Meanwhile, Ebony knocked on the Sheia's office door.

"Ebony." Said Sheia. "Is something wrong?"

Ebony looked worried. "Did you find anything out on Slade?"

"Yes I did. Have a seat." Sheia got her notepad and turned to one of the pages. "Nowadays I really have to write everything down. Anyways, I did get a call about ten minutes ago. I was gonna talk to everybody once you were all back from school, but hey you have the right to know."

Ebony smiled. "Is he okay?"

"He's more than okay actually." She smiled. "He'll be coming home in a few hours. Turns out he had severe brain illness, that's what the doctor told me after scanning his whole body. The doctor believes it either could be stress or heredity. But he did say it was only a temporary thing."

"Wow." Ebony took a deep breath and thought about the lie that Ram made up back in Liberty to keep Ruby from being nosy. A lie turned out to bite him back in the ass. "Well, at least he's okay, and he's finally coming home. Thank you, really. You do too much."

Sheia thought about Raven's scheme once again. "Yeah well, I try."

"Well, I'll leave you to it." Ebony smiled.

"Oh yes Ebony, could you tell Jay to see me?" asked Sheia.

"Sure." Ebony left her office and caught Jay walking to the common room. "Jay, Sheia wants to see you."

Jay nodded. He always looked forward to seeing Sheia. He always noticed that whatever she wore, from overalls to colorful shoes and clothes, couldn't turn him away from her natural beauty. He knocked on her door and came in. During her usual greeting, he couldn't help but look at her as she looked for folders in her filing cabinet. She wore hipster olive green pants, a maroon halter-top, a white net cover-up over her top, and denim blue shoes. Jay liked days like these, especially because she looked prettier than usual when her dark brown hair was curled. Eventually Jay stopped admiring and snapped back to reality.

"Jay, are you listening?" She turned around and looked at him.

"I'm so sorry. I'm out of it." Jay said nervously.

Sheia shook her head. "Slade's coming back home today. Ebony's definitely happy about it since she wasn't able to visit him with school in the way. And we have a newcomer, AGAIN."

"Newcomer?" He wondered.

"Yeah, found a girl drifting in the beach a couple of weeks ago. She was in the hospital and if I'm not mistaken, she's coming to live here as well. So Lilah's getting the room ready." Said Sheia. "And weird enough, she's had an identity crisis. She remembers her name but nothing else."

"Ouch." Said Jay. "She alright?"

"Oh yeah." Sheia sat back down on her chair putting three folders on her desk. "It's a good thing we had some college students that were almost on their way to being doctors. After they offered to run the hospital, it all worked out."

"Seems so perfect doesn't it?" said Jay.

Sheia sighed. "Almost." She stopped writing. "Do you think I go out there just to please people?"

"No." said Jay. "I think you have the natural ability to please people, that's why a lot of people like you." Jay always found loopholes to compliment her without saying it directly.

She gave a faint smile. "I used to think that everything is perfect. Nowadays, it's perfect them, in some ways."

"I would definitely help you out." Said Jay. "But I'm starting work tomorrow at the station."

"Well thanks anyways." She said. Her communicator started beeping, but unusually it wasn't attached to her pants, rather it was back on the filing cabinet. She got up from her chair and tripped off one of the legs of the rolling chair. "Ouch."

Jay got up and found her laying on her stomach beside her chair. He helped her up from the floor. "Guess a Princess has her days huh?" He handed her the communicator.

Sheia blushed in embarrassment. "Thanks." She put on her headset. "Yes Reed. Oh you're on your way? Oh yes, that would be great. Okay see you in a bit." Sheia was still red from her little accident with the chair.

"Reed?" Jay wondered.

"Yeah, he's coming over to drop off Slade and that girl that Gene found." She said fixing her hair that was messed up when she tripped. "You think you can get everyone to go to lobby? I'm sure she's gonna need some friends now that she's in a new place." Jay nodded and called everyone from the common room and upstairs in the rooms.

"So Slade's alright?" asked Jack.

"That's what Ebony's saying." Said Ellie. "I wonder who's this new girl."

"Slade!" Ebony yelled as she saw Slade walk in with a hospital tag on his wrist. She hugged him tightly.

"Whoa Ebony, cutting my circulation." Slade joked. Sheia and Jay came from the kitchen and welcomed Slade back. The next person that came in was an obvious Xegian troop, and Sheia recognized the bleach blonde hair, the only troop in Reed's station with that hair.

"Ved." Sheia froze as Jay stood beside her. It was almost a month since Sheia last saw Ved, and the last time wasn't the best moment they had. He kept his word about not seeing each other, and the tension built up in a matter of seconds. "Been a long time."

Ved looked at her as if he hasn't seen her in a decade. Jay stood there watching the two exchange stares. "Hi. Um, how's everything?"

Sheia took a deep breath. "Getting through things. You?"

"Work as usual. And school, that's almost out of the way." Ved replied. "Jay…first day of work tomorrow!"

"Of course." Said Jay. "Working together again brother. You haven't been stopping by for the longest time. What's up?"

Ved looked into Sheia's anxious hazel eyes. "Um, I just had so much…"

"VED!" a girl with dark skin, purple streaks on her hair, and wearing a purple jacket, and a green skirt over black pants ran in and grabbed Ved's arm. "What's the rush? You said you'd come in with me so it won't be awkward!"

"Sorry…" Ved apologized quietly.

"It's okay." She smiled and kissed Ved on the cheek. She's eyes widened and stood there speechless.

"Cloe…" said Jay. He noticed the tension becoming worst.

"Cloe?" said Ellie. "Hey!" Cloe was bombarded with hugs and invitations to hang out.

"Hold on guys, don't want to be rude." Said Cloe. "But seriously, where's the Princess? I was told I get to meet her, so exciting!"

Sheia snapped out of her frozen state. "Oh wow, I'm so sorry."

"Cloe, this is Princess Sheia." Ved bit his lip.

"Hi Cloe, welcome." Sheia shook her hand nervously. Cloe looked at her weird.

"Wow, I never really…never mind." Said Cloe as she smiled. "So nice to meet you, Princess I mean."

"Oh that's okay, everyone calls me Sheia around here." Sheia smiled.

"So um," Cloe looked at Jay. "Jay bothering you? Because he's had a million girlfriends." Jay stood there shocked at the words coming out of her mouth.

"You assume too much." Said Jay.

"Sorry, really." Said Cloe. "All my memories are coming back so fast it's crazy. Come on Ved, let's go meet up with everyone else."

"I'll catch up." Ved replied. He winced as she hugged him tight and left.

"I guess I better see what everyone's up to." Jay left the two alone, knowing it was something he didn't want to get involved with.

"I'm sorry." Ved apologized.

"Were you gonna tell me if she didn't give you hugs and kisses?" Sheia wondered.

"Eventually." He said. "Come on Sheia it's not easy."

"Nothing is Ved." Her voice cracked. "So what, you two were together? I mean, together again I should say."

"We were, and ever since she saw me for the first time at the hospital," Ved explained. "She instantly remembered me and she wanted to pick up where we left off."

"Did you tell her about me?" Sheia wondered.

Ved sighed. "I have yet to tell her."

"I see." Sheia took a deep breath. "I don't even know why I worry anymore. I mean, I am moving on just like you. Just not ready to tie down."

"I heard about that situation." He said.

"Really? You must be relieved." She laughed. "If we were still together you'd have to be my Prince. As stressed as I am now, you'd probably hate it."

Ved didn't know what to say. "I hope you do find someone."

Sheia tried to fight a breakdown with the thought of the situation, let alone she was having this conversation in front of her ex. "Yeah. I guess you better run to the kitchen then, Cloe's waiting. I guess I'll see you later." Her eyes were watery but ran upstairs before her tears came down.

Ved stood there saddened. He felt guilty she had to find out that way. Little did she know, that he was hurting in his own way, but he was fighting through it to move on.

"Ved…come on!" Cloe called.

Ved smiled and walked with her to the common room.

With all the talk downstairs in the common room, Jay went upstairs to get his jacket. Right when he got upstairs, he heard cries at the end of the West Wing. He knew what it was and instead of going to his room, he nervously went to the opposite end, finding Sheia sitting outside her room crying.


	15. Breakdown

A/N: You're reviews really amuse me! I love it. Anyways, yes I'm nearing Jay and Ram's first day and I'm sure I'll give them something.

**Chapter 15 – Breakdown**

"Sheia?" Jay saw her tears running down her cheeks. He sat next to her outside her door. "What's wrong?"

Her hazel eyes were now red and puffy from all the tears. She tried to wipe the tears on her cheeks, which didn't stop her from feeling sad. "I don't think I can deal with this anymore. Lately I've been having thoughts about not being a princess anymore and I've been trying so hard not to think that, but now it's like I really can't do this."

"Why are you saying that? You know no one could do a better job than you." Said Jay.

"It's just," said Sheia. "if I was a normal person I could easily deal with my personal problems without stressing at work. I'm trying hard to pull myself together but it's not working. And marriage! I don't wanna make mistake that I'm going to regret." Her tears came running down her cheeks once again.

Jay never saw Sheia so sad. He was used to seeing her happy than all depressed and in tears. He put his arm around her as he let her put her head on his shoulder. "You're better than this. Don't let people tell you what you what you should do with your life. If anything, you're just like any other person, only 'princess' comes before your name."

"What would you do?" she said as he stroked her hair.

Jay sighed. She was in a pretty difficult situation. "I'd probably try to put my personal problems aside. I mean, if everyone looks up to me, then I should stand by that. And the whole marriage thing, I would still believe it is my choice."

Sheia took a deep breath. "Maybe I'm just overwhelmed with what's happening. Come to think of it, I should put my problems aside, and maybe just do what's best for me and the people."

"Your personal problems…" Jay hesitated. "Is it about you and…?"

Sheia lifted up her head from his shoulder and looked at him. "I can't let it bother me. After all, we're just friends. And Cloe, I'm sure she'll treat him better than I did. I'm out of the picture and, maybe that's what is best. He's out of my league."

"Actually she didn't really treat him well for awhile." Said Jay thinking about how once she was acting as a spy and told Ved that she was pregnant. "I know he's my brother, but he shouldn't have let you go. I think you would've been worth it."

Sheia smiled. "You really think so? Well, I'm not gonna let that bother me anymore. I was thinking about the whole marriage thing, and I think I might go through it, on my terms."

"Your terms?" Jay felt a little crushed on her thought of marriage.

"I should be able to choose who I want, and when I want to marry." Said Sheia. "I mean, I do need help with work. And I want to take my time, with someone that I choose."

"At least you're making things positive now." He smiled. "Besides, you know you can talk to me about anything."

Sheia had stopped crying and stood up. Jay got up and looked at her. Even after crying, she was still the same Sheia he'd always see. "Thank you Jay. You've really done so much for me. You don't even know."

"My pleasure." Jay nodded.

"It's nice to have someone to talk to, even when the whole world's going crazy." Sheia smiled. To Jay's surprise, she hugged him. She was warm, and her scent drove him crazy. He wrapped his arms around her savoring the moment.

"You can count on me." He said. Little did they know, Ved saw them from the top of the staircase. Ved went downstairs speechless.

"Salene!" It was Trudy and Brady. "You're not staying for dinner?"

"Um actually, I'm going out to dinner." Salene said nervously.

"Dinner…" said Trudy. "With who?"

"Reed." May came walking downstairs.

"Wow Sal, I guess you like a man in uniform." Trudy joked.

"Hey he's actually nice." Smiled Salene. "He should be downstairs soon, he did say at seven."

"So where is he taking you?" asked May. "Spill it."

"Well I'll tell you what I can okay?" said Salene. "He did say dinner at Le Fleur. I'm guessing French you know. And well, maybe some coffee afterwards."

"Wow, smooth." May was impressed. "You have to promise to tell everything once you get back. That's if, you get home by curfew." Trudy laughed.

"Curfew!" Salene shook her head. "You guys are ridiculous."

Reed came downstairs wearing a nice black long-sleeve shirt, a white tie, black pants, and black shoes. "Ready?"

"Oh yes of course." Salene smiled. "I'll see you two later."

"Have fun!" smiled Trudy. Salene took off with Reed. "Salene…"

"She's got it bad." May nodded. "Come on, let's see what Cloe's doing." They both went to the common room, where Cloe couldn't help but separate from Ved, while talking to Ellie and Jack.

"I seriously didn't remember anything when I got here." Cloe explained. "I woke up in the hospital and they told me I would coming here. And I actually found Ved working with the troops so that was exciting."

"Well that's great you guys are reunited again." Said Ellie. Ved was absent-minded and wasn't paying attention to anything.

"Of course, right Ved?" smiled Cloe.

Ved realized he zoned out. "Oh, yeah sure."

"So is Jay and Ram starting at the station yet?" asked Jack.

"Yeah I think they're starting tomorrow." Ved replied. "That's gonna be something."

"HEY GIVE ME THAT!" Sammy came in after Lottie chasing her around.

"Hey!" Amber yelled. "Stop running you two. What's the matter Sammy?"

"Lottie stole my notebook." Sammy complained.

"I did not." Lied Lottie.

"You guys are unbelievable. Lottie give it back please." Said Amber.

"I thought we told you no more stealing." Ruby reminded her.

"Sorry. Here's Reena's notebook." Smirked Lottie. Sammy took it and gave her a look.

"Who's Reena Sammy?" Asked Ruby.

"Some girl at school. She's been helping me a lot with catching up on lessons." He replied. He left the common room.

"I swear kids these days." Said Amber. "Seems like everyone is finding a love interest in school."

"Oh yeah," said Ruby. "Are you still thinking of getting a job?"

"Yeah." Amber answered. "But not till we get to move to that house that Jay told us about."

"Oh yeah, we have to move this weekend." Ruby groaned. "Well, at least we don't have a lot to move." Amber agreed.

In the kitchen, Gel and Gerie were in deep discussion about makeup. "I seriously can't live without it." Said Gel.

"Me too!" Gerie agreed. "I just don't get that whole natural beauty thing. I so don't believe it."

"I know!" Gel thought. "You could never look good unless you put make up on, the right way."

"I can't believe I'm listening to this." Lex left the kitchen.

Bree, Lilah, and Gene finally arrived. "Now that was a long day." Bree was at the house that the Mallrats are going to live in, making sure that the workers were tidying up. Lilah was with Gene and other troops stopping by the hospital and some clinics to make sure the facilities were fully equipped for the service to the people.

"You guys are finally home." Sheia was reading a book alone in the lobby.

"You're reading." Said Gene. "You're done with your work?"

"Pretty much." Said Sheia coolly. "Trying to take it easy you know."

"Oh hey, I found this outside. Mail I suppose? It says your name on it." Lilah handed Sheia an envelope. "Open it I guess."

"Thanks." Sheia looked at it confusedly.

"Where's Ivan and Reed?" asked Bree.

"Ivan's upstairs." Answered Sheia. "And Reed went out with Salene."

"Someone's back in the game." Gene was impressed. They all talked about their long day and Reed and Salene.

Sheia looked at the envelope. The only thing written on it was "Sheia." She opened the envelope and found a letter with a few sentences on it:

_You're beautiful. I'm falling for you._

_You don't even know._

She was puzzled after reading it. She couldn't think of anyone who could ever send this. She ignored it and put it back in the envelope, hiding it in the back of her book.


	16. Rookies

A/N: Ugh, viruses these days. I had this chapter written out too. Well, I tried my best to recall what I put into the chapter. So here it is. Sorry for the wait!

**Chapter 16 – Rookies**

Sheia ignored the letter. She couldn't think of anyone who could've sent her that letter saying that. She went upstairs to her room and changed into her sleeping clothes. She stood in front of the mirror brushing her long brown hair with red and blonde streaks. There was knock on the door. It was Lilah. She was wearing lavender pajamas that matched her lavender streaks.

"Hey. You okay?" asked Lilah. "I know things have been crazy around here, and Bree and I haven't exactly been around lately."

"Yeah…I've got everything sorted out." Replied Sheia. "You know, I think I might give marriage a thought. But I'm gonna negotiate about this situation though."

"Definitely has to be someone you want." Said Lilah.

Sheia nodded. "And I should be able to take my time."

"Well, if it's going to help around here, then go for it." Smiled Lilah. "Wouldn't want you to be stressing forever."

Sheia put down her hairbrush and looked at Lilah. "I just don't know anyone I can think of." Sheia sighed.

"Don't worry, you'll find someone. Trust me." She assured her. "But for now, get some rest. At least I should, it was a long day. 'Night." Lilah closed the door behind her and Sheia looked at her reflection on the mirror again.

_Outside I look like everything in my life is perfect. It sure isn't._ She sighed and went to bed.

"Hurry up Jay!" Ram was still half asleep waiting for Jay to come out of the bathroom. It was their first day of work and they had to be up early. "Come on, I don't wanna be late."

"Shut up, almost done." Said Jay. He opened the door drying his hair with his towel. He was wearing his black sleeveless shirt and a pair of plaid boxers.

"Jeez you take forever." Ram closed the bathroom door behind him and began showering. Jay was excited for his first day. He remembered the first time he joined the Technos, it was almost the same feeling. After drying his hair, he heard a knock on the door.

He opened the door to find Reed holding two sets of uniforms. "Hmm, impressive. You're up early."

"Well, it is the first day." Said Jay. "So what's up?"

"As you can see, I have your uniforms ready, and I think we got the sizes right. They have your names on it." Reed handed him the uniforms. "So you and Ram can go ahead and put those on, and I'll meet you guys downstairs for an early breakfast."

"Thanks." Said Jay before closing the door. He looked at both uniforms and saw the one that said 'Jay' on the upper left chest area. Under his name it said 'XCT', which meant Xegian Coastal Troop. He smiled in excitement and began unfolding the pants and the top. He put on the pants first, which he found very comfortable, since it wasn't tight like the Lycra uniform he had with the Technos. It wasn't tight, but not too baggy. He then put on the top, which like the pants were black and had royal blue lining. He began buttoning his top and couldn't help admire the fact that his name was on it. He looked at the reflection on the mirror and noticed he was missing something. He looked at the spot where he put his top, and there was a belt lying there. It was like the kind of belt worn with martial arts uniforms, except it had the Xegian symbol on the ends. "This should do it." He completed his uniform by tying the belt around his waist.

After Ram finished showering and putting on his uniform, they both walked downstairs to the kitchen, where Reed was drinking a glass of juice and reading the paper. "Not bad guys. Do they fit good?"

"Yeah, perfect." Ram felt a little overconfident with his uniform.

"Here, eat up. Can't go through a day without breakfast." Said Reed. After twenty minutes, the three left and headed to the station. They arrived at the station, which was already filled with working troops. They went upstairs to find their new desks. "I specifically put you near Ved, since he can help you out if anything. And of course, I know all of you will get along."

"Sure." Laughed Ram. Ved was already at his desk organizing some papers.

"Wow first day." Ved said impressively. "No, you guys aren't taking these desks are you?"

"Unfortunately." Jay shrugged.

"Well, today you're gonna start with updating some profiles. I'm sure you know how to use computers?" asked Reed.

"Please, there is no need for that question." Said Ram.

"There's no need for the attitude troop." Said Reed. Ram realized he was no longer a leader. "Ved's told me about the whole Techno thing so I'm sure you guys won't have a problem. Later on, you guys will be going with Ved and two other troops for a little patrolling in the forest. All clear?"

"Yes sir." Answered Jay. Ram was absent-minded. "Ram."

"Oh yeah, got it sir." Ram nodded.

"Good. Ask Ved if you have any problems." Reed walked to his office and closed the door behind him.

"I think you guys got five profiles each, am I right?" Ved asked.

Jay counted the folders. "Yup, five it is. So we just update them into the database?"

"Pretty much. Make sure all information is correct." Ved reminded them. "Wouldn't want the wrong identity put in someone else's profile."

"So how's you and the lady?" asked Ram. "I guess since Cloe's back you won't have your princess around huh?"

Ved gave Ram a look. "I thought I told you there's no more of this princess business? Anyways, Cloe's been trying to get into the troop compound after school. Of course, strictly no girls allowed."

"Well that sucks." Said Jay. "But hey, got your first love back right?"

"Yeah…" Ved replied quietly as he stopped typing. "What about you Jay? Find any girls around here?"

"Umm," said Jay looking through the profiles. "No can't say that I saw any that caught my eye."

"Sure," smirked Ram. "You and Sheia have been quite the buddies."

Ved looked at Jay. "You and Sheia?"

"No of course not." Said Jay awkwardly. "We're just friends. All we do is talk about what's been going on in the city or if she has any news about the new house."

"Oh." Said Ved. "Well you know, it's not like it's gonna bother me."

"I can't do that to you little brother," said Jay. "It just wouldn't be right." Jay always thought that. He always told himself it was wrong, but his heart felt otherwise.

"So when are we actually moving to the new house?" Ellie asked May when they were at their lockers. Luckily, they had their lockers next to each other just in case anything happened.

"This weekend right?" May thought. "We should ask Ruby later."

"OH MY GOD THIS IS HORRIBLE!" Gel was running in the hallway and dashed into the girls' bathroom.

"Gerie!" called Ellie. "What's wrong with Gel?"

"Someone told her that her makeup looked weird." Gerie shook her head. "I'll see you guys later." She followed Gel into the bathroom.

"Hello May." A voice said. It was the lead singer of the band that played at the festival. He was tall, had short blonde hair, and green eyes.

"Oh, hi Derrek," May said nervously. "What's up?"

"Um nothing much," he said. "I was wondering if you wanted to join me for lunch today?"

"Um, actually I was having lunch with my friends." Said May.

"Stop it May," said Ellie. "You make it sound like we hold you captive. Go ahead."

"Are you sure?" May whispered. Ellie nodded.

"You know what, I'll join you." May smiled.

"Great." He smiled. "I'll meet you here?" May nodded as he smiled walking away.

May shrieked. "I have to thank you!" Ellie walked with her to their Chemistry class.

"Okay, I'm done." Jay closed the last folder and stacked them in the corner of the table. "I've got to use the little boys' room."

"What is up with this guy?" Ram was looking at the last profile he was updating. "He's got like a billion felonies!"

"Yeah well, not everyone's perfect. I'll be right back I gotta ask Reed something." Ved got up from his desk and headed to Reed's office.

"Where'd Ved go?" Jay came back from the restroom. He suddenly stopped at the sight of Ved's wallpaper on his desktop. The picture of Ved and Sheia at the beach was no longer in a frame; it was on his desktop wallpaper. Jay felt a bit of jealousy but shook it off. _There's nothing between her and me anyway._

"He's at Reed's office." Said Ram finishing up his work. Jay sat down in his chair. He began thinking about Sheia. He enjoyed their talks, but he knew she didn't feel the same way. He was disappointed and at the same time relieved so his temptations wouldn't overcome him.

"Alright guys, after I'm done we're going patrolling." Ved slammed the folder on his desk.

"Almost done? Cause I really need some outside air." Said Ram.

"Yeah, I get what you mean." Ved finished up updating the last report. "Cool. Okay, let me just call those other two troops."

"Finally, I could've gone crazy if I was stuck here all day." Said Ram.

Ved came back with two other troops. One was shorter than Ved, had dirty blonde hair, and blue eyes. The other was tall, had dark hair, and glowing hazel eyes. "This is Harvey and Blaise, they'll be accompanying us."

"Hey." Blaise greeted who was a lot of friendlier than Harvey. Jay and Ram noticed that just like Ved, Blaise had 'Coastal Top Cadet' on his uniform.

"You guys take the car, I'll go ahead and check the area first." Said Ved.

"Got it." Said Blaise.

"How are you getting there?" Ram wondered. Ved opened a drawer at his desk and pulled out a white helmet.

"Bike." Ved smirked as he put it on. "See you guys there." Ved went downstairs and left. Jay, Ram, Blaise, and Harvey took the elevator to the basement.

"This is where the vehicles are?" Ram asked.

"Yup, all here." Said Blaise. They all got in a car and exited the basement through a garage door. After fifteen minutes, they arrived at the border of the city and the forest. They saw Ved's white motorcycle parked by the fence. "Did you scan the place?"

Ved was holding a device the size of the calculator. "Yup, temperature's normal. No airborne viruses detected."

"Alright, should we split up?" Blaise asked.

"Hmm, yeah sure." Ved agreed. "Jay you can go with me to search the cliff area, Ram and Harvey you guys can search this area till the mid-section, and Blaise can you take the beach?"

"Sure thing." Said Blaise. "Shouldn't take longer than twenty minutes. Just meet back here after."

"What exactly are we searching for?" asked Jay.

"Checking around if there are any inhabitants around. Since you know some people end up in the beach end of the forest, sometimes they can't find their way to the city." Said Blaise.

Jay and Ved began their search towards the cliff area. They were looking in between big boulders and trees for any sign of people making a living. "Have you ever found anyone?"

"I think Reed did once." Ved replied. "Since then haven't found anybody. But it's safer to check every week." The forest was so green, and their only source of light was the patches of space above in the trees. They kept walking and searching through the area, and as they kept walking, the forest became brighter.

"Where's the light coming from?" Jay asked.

"We're almost at the cliff." Ved replied. After a couple of trees they passed, they ended up at a clearing, which was nearly the edge of the cliff. It was an open area, with a few boulders on the side. The area was enclosed with railings and there was a warm breeze than filled the air. "This is it."

"Whoa." Jay saw a view of the city from the side of the cliff. Ved sat down on one of the boulders. "It's a good thing there are railings."

"Yeah, Sheia had people put railings here, just in case someone found the place so they won't fall off." Ved replied.

"This place called anything?" Jay wondered.

"Memoria." Ved sighed.

"Oh my god, this place is beautiful." Said Sheia. "Never imagined it like this."

Ved smiled at her as she walked towards the railings. "It's a great view."

"Yes it is. Good thing I had railings put." Sheia smiled. "Wouldn't wanna fall."

"I wouldn't let you fall." Ved stood beside her looking at the view of the city.

Sheia smiled. "What if I just suddenly tripped or flipped over or something?" She joked.

"I'd follow you down below." Ved whispered in her ear.

Sheia looked at him and held his hands. "You're so sweet." Ved leaned towards her and gave her a passionate kiss.

"Shouldn't we go?" asked Jay.

Ved realized he was reminiscing. "Yeah." They met up with the rest of the troops and turns out, they didn't find anyone either.

"Well, that was an easy day." Jay smirked. SPLAT. He suddenly felt a warm, slimy liquid on his hair. Everyone erupted with laughter. Jay felt this strange liquid and his fingers were covered with a white and yellow pigment. "Shit."

"Yes it is." Ram joked. "Bird shit. Not so smooth after all." Ram walked towards him. SMUSH. He felt a weird smushy feeling at the bottom of his right foot.

Jay was now joining in with the laughter. "Smooth huh?" Jay laughed. "I would think that is, deer shit maybe?"

Blaise couldn't help himself. "Make sure you wipe your boots before you get in the car, or else you're walking!"

"Funny." Ram said sarcastically.

"Damn rookies." Ved joked.


	17. When All Falls Down

A/N: Okay, deeper drama in this chapter. The plot continues to thicken. Good luck with AP Testing Eli! My friend's been taking that stuff too, heard it's a killer. Anyways, here's an update.

**Chapter 17 – When All Falls Down**

"Wow this is really it." Said Ruby as she went into the van with the rest of the Mallrats.

"Don't worry, you'll love your new house." Bree assured them.

"Thank you so much Sheia, we can't thank you enough." Said Amber holding baby Bray.

Sheia smiled. "Don't worry about it, if you need anything you know where to find me." The Mallrats had brought all they had with them to the vans that were taking them to their new home.

"I guess this is our last meeting for awhile huh? Since you've pretty much done everything for us." Said Jay.

"Come on Jay!" said Trudy excitedly with Brady.

"Last?" Sheia wondered. "I know where to find you. Besides, you're a troop now."

"I'll see you around." Jay smiled at her as he got into the van. The Mallrats left waving back at Bree and Sheia, who were watching the vans drive off.

Their new house wasn't too far off. It was on the boundaries of the downtown and coastal sections of Xelia. It was walking distance from the schools some of the Mallrats went to, and it was across a famous local diner. "Wow, it's pretty." Said Salene.

"We had enough beds for everyone, so you guys are gonna have to deal with sharing rooms." Said Gene who was driving one of the vans. They finally arrived at the house, which to their amazement was pretty big. It was painted a light orange, and had blue trimmings. The front yard had a fence, a little garden, and a stone walkway to the main door.

"It matches Jack's face paint!" said Lottie.

"Heh." Jack smirked. "It's got my name all over it I'd say."

"Sharing is caring." Said Amber. The other Mallrats in the other van arrived with Ivan. "Isn't this great?"

"Wow…this looks really good." Said May. "Could we look inside?"

Gene led the way and opened the main door. All the Mallrats dashed inside the house and were amazed how everything was put together. They had their own living room, kitchen, dining room, and two bedrooms all in the first floor. The rest of the bedrooms were upstairs, which they all fought on who gets which room. "You like?"

"Oh yeah." Trudy nodded. "This place is perfect. Sheia's done so much."

"It's the least she could do for you." Said Ivan. "It's a pretty good location too. You have access to a lot of places and downtown is only minutes away."

"The mirror is not big enough!" They heard Gel complaining upstairs.

"You've got nothing to look at anyway!" Sammy joked.

Amber shook her head as she took a seat at the kitchen table. "We'll get used to it. But really, thank you."

"It's our pleasure." Gene smiled. "Here are the keys, and we left the number of our house on your fridge, just in case you need anything. Right now we have to get going, so enjoy your new home."

"Thanks Gene." Jay saw them out the door. They drove off in both vans the same way they came. "Finally, a house."

"Isn't this great?" said Salene. "We actually have a real house to live in. And we've got beds too."

"Sheia's really outdone herself." Said Amber.

"Yeah." Jay agreed.

"Sheia," Bree came into her office. "Looks like there's another something that was left for you."

Bree handed her another envelope, this time a single rose was attached to it. "Okay, this is just weird." Said Sheia.

"Tell me about it." Said Bree. "Well, I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks, I think I'll check it out later." Sheia put it aside on her table. "Oh yeah, cabinet meeting tomorrow."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Bree joked as she left Sheia's office. Sheia wasn't dealing with a lot of workload anymore, so she made time to herself. She would go to the quad and watch the sunset by herself, thinking about life and love. She believed that she was over Ved. She wasn't going to let that bother anymore. Today, she went to the quad again, this time with the mysterious envelope and rose.

_These weird envelopes, I swear._ She pulled out the rose and set aside. She opened up the envelope, which revealed another letter.

Since the day I saw you, I couldn't keep my eyes away 

_Since I first heard your voice, I didn't want to stop listening_

_The smell of your scent drove me crazy,_

_And all I want is to have you in my arms._

_No matter how pretty the rose is, it doesn't compare to your beauty._

Sheia was confused. Her mystery admirer sent her these weird letters, which freaked her out in a way. _This person knows me._ She took the red rose and looked at it. It looked fresh and had a rich red color on its petals. She smelled the scent of the rose, and suddenly felt some kind of euphoria. _It smells so good._ She loved the smell of it and suddenly found herself lying on the couch in the quad.

"Sheia, wake up." It was Lilah. The sun had just set, and Lilah just came home still wearing her troop uniform. "Sheia…"

Sheia didn't wake. It was like she was having a peaceful, dreamless sleep. Lilah found the rose on Sheia's hand. She too smelled it, but it was odorless. "Sheia, come on wake up." Lilah began shaking her on the shoulder.

"Huh?" Sheia finally woke. "What happened?"

"Seems like you fell asleep." Said Lilah. "Come on, let's go get some dinner."

The next day at the cabinet meeting, Sheia was feeling really weird. It was like she felt more energetic, and in a very happy mood.

"So you're willing to comply?" asked Yari.

"As long as I can take my time and I get to choose who I will marry." Said Sheia.

"Sounds fair. It will give the people what they want." Raven said plainly.

Sheia eyed him but refused to start an argument. "Any more issues to discuss?"

Kendall began, "Well the construction of the new apartment complex is almost complete. Should we begin taking early tenants?"

"Not just yet." Answered Sheia. "Give it a few weeks more. What about the hospital? Are they running low on supplies?"

"Well," said Zerg. "I contacted Dr. Odine and he said that they have a surplus in their inventory, so they're running smoothly."

"Well then, if that's all," said Sheia. "Then just keep up with your work in offices. Meeting adjourned."

"Well that went well." Said Bree. "I've gotta get going to the troop complex. You know where to find me."

Sheia nodded and headed back. To her surprise, Raven was standing outside her door. "What do you want?"

"You seem like you're in a good mood." He smirked.

"Till I saw you." Sheia entered her office. "Why are you in my office?"

"Well I just wanted to say, good luck." He took a deep breath. "I guess that's why Xelia loves you, people come first."

Sheia was confused. "Okay…thanks?"

"Sorry for acting like a jerk." He blurted out.

"Yeah, let's not get personal around here." She shook her head. "I have to go out right now, do you mind leaving?"

"Yeah, sure." He shrugged and walked out.

"What was that all about?" Gerie was walking around with her pajamas and duck slippers on.

"I don't know." Sheia shrugged. "I'm hungry, let's eat."

It had been a couple of weeks since Jay and Ram's first day, and they've already gotten used to their schedule. With Ved around, it reminded them of Techno times, but they constantly reminded each other they were Xegian troops now. On a Tuesday afternoon, Ved came in exhausted after school.

"Thank god I have the day off tomorrow." Ved sighed as he sat down at his desk.

"School's hell huh?" Ram wondered.

Ved nodded. "Cloe's been trying to go home with me and today she wanted to stay here while I work. Can I a guy get some space?"

"Your luck brother." Jay shrugged. After an hour Ved had began his shift, there was an unexpected surprise.

"VED!" It was Cloe.

Ved, who was tired and sleepy, suddenly woke up. "Cloe, how'd you get here?"

"Well, Salene wanted to see Reed so I thought I'd come along. You know, see how you're doing." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Ram and Jay just ignored her presence as they continued to work.

"But I just saw you in school." Ved was confused.

Cloe raised an eyebrow. "Can't I just visit? Anyways, what kind of work do you have today?"

"Um, just computer work." Ved replied. Jay suddenly remembered seeing Ved's wallpaper a couple of weeks ago. _Sucks if he didn't change it._

"Can I see?" Cloe asked.

"It's really complicated actually." Ved realized what was in the computer at that moment. He didn't want her to see what was on the desktop.

"Come on, I'm not ignorant. I know technology too." She grabbed the mouse and began clicking files.

"Nothing interesting, really." Ved replied nervously.

"Hmm, I guess." Cloe closed all the windows, which eventually led her to the desktop. Her face went blank. "Ved, what is this?" She found the picture of Ved and Sheia at the beach.

Ram and Jay didn't look at Ved's expression, but they listened intently to the dramatic conversation that was about to unfold. "Um, uhhh…" Ved stuttered.

"Are you and the princess together? ARE YOU CHEATING ON ME?" She yelled so loud that all the troops at the station stopped working.

"No I'm not cheating on you…" Ved said quietly.

"THEN WHY IS THERE A PICTURE OF YOU AND HER ON YOUR COMPUTER!" She yelled again. This time, Ved grabbed her arm and brought her outside. "WHAT IS ALL THAT?"

"Cloe, calm down." He said cautiously.

"Then tell me what the hell is that." Cloe demanded.

Ved sighed. "She's my ex okay? When I came here to Xelia, I met her. And yes, we did go out, for almost like two years. And the picture…I should've taken off my computer a long time ago. I'm really sorry."

Cloe was shocked. "You were with the princess?"

"Yes. I wanted to tell you, I really did. I just didn't know how." He sighed.

"Did you love her?" She asked anxiously.

Ved suddenly felt his heart stop. "I…"

"It doesn't matter." Cloe tried to ignore it. "All that matters is us now."

"I'm sorry." He apologized. They hugged and Cloe felt that she could let it go. While holding on to her, Ved looked away into the street, his heart and mind going crazy over the whole situation.


	18. Strange Behavior

A/N: Sorry this took awhile, been caught up with school. It's the last stretch and I am getting LAZY when it comes to schoolwork. Anyways, extra long chapter for an extra long wait for an update lol.

**Chapter 18 –Strange Behavior**

Sheia had been constantly receiving letters and roses about once a week. Although confused about her secret admirer, she loved the scent of the flowers.

"It's just," She smelled another rose. "So good."

Bree gave her a weird look. "Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine." She smiled. "I'm beginning to think I should find out who's my secret admirer."

"Sheia," Lilah was pouring herself a cup of coffee. It was a peaceful, Saturday morning. "At least get to know the guy first."

Toby their chef came in. "Morning ladies."

"Hey Toby." Said Bree. "Are you the type of guy to give a girl secret letters?"

Toby looked at her weirdly. "Whatever it is I swear I didn't do a damn thing."

"No!" Bree shook her head. "Sheia's been getting anonymous love letters and roses from a secret admirer."

"Is that so?" Toby raised an eyebrow. Lilah and Bree nodded. "Well, apparently the guy is doing this because he's probably embarrassed to admit he's the sentimental kind of guy. I mean, if he wasn't afraid to admit it, he would've gone straight to you. Or maybe he's just a coward."

"I see your point." Sighed Sheia. "I'll meet him, eventually." She smiled and left the kitchen.

"She's been nothing but weird lately." Said Bree worriedly. Lilah and Toby shrugged.

"Where's Lex?" asked Amber as she fed baby Bray some food.

"Sleeping in I would think." Said Ram. "Should I wake him?"

Salene shook her head. "He'll wake up. It's Saturday."

Lex was sitting on the beach in Xelia, staring at the sunset. Surprisingly the beach wasn't crowded with people, which gave him time to himself. Suddenly, he felt a familiar touch on his shoulder.

"Hi Lex." The voice said.

Lex's eyes widened. He turned around and saw a face that he never thought he'd see again. It was Siva smiling at him. "Siva…"

She smiled and hugged him. "How are you Lex?"

Lex looked at Siva and smiled. "Terribly miserable."

Siva shook her head. Lex touched her smooth face. "Don't be sad. I'm here."

"You're only in my dreams." He said sadly. "I think about you everyday, wishing you were with me."

"I'm always with you Lex." Siva touched his hand. "I'll always be. But Lex, I don't want you to be miserable for the rest of your life because of me."

"What do you mean Sivee?" He wondered.

"I want you to be happy." Siva looked at him. "I'm sure you'll find someone out there who will make you happy. I know there's someone right for you."

"Siva…" Lex sighed. "I don't want to get over you like you're just a memory. I miss you."

"I miss you too." She kissed him. "Even if you move on with someone else, I'll always be here. Do it for me Lex. I could never feel good about myself if it was me that was holding you back. Please Lex."

She stroked her soft skin and looked deep into her eyes. "It's dreams like this that I wish were real." He sighed. "You know I'd do anything for you."

She smiled. Lex missed her smile ever since the day she parted from the world. "You'll always find me here."

"My Sivee…" Lex kissed her passionately. "Siva?" Lex opened his eyes and realized he was just in his room that he shared with Ram. Strangely, Siva's blue flower was right next to Lex's pillow. He remembered leaving it on that sad day they buried Siva and Java. He didn't bother wondering, he wanted Siva to always be near by.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you guys later." Said Ruby. She got a job at a coffee shop down the street called Yoki's Stop. "My shift starts in an hour."

"See you later." Said Amber. "I better find a job too."

"But what about Bray?" asked Trudy as she wiped Brady's mouth with a napkin.

"Well I was thinking of working things out with Salene, and maybe Ruby." Amber thought. "I'll work when they can stay home and watch Bray."

There was a knock on the door. "Who could that be?" Ellie wondered.

"I'll get it." Amber got up from her chair and walked towards the door. She opened the door and found Sheia standing in front of her, wearing a white spring dress, a denim jacket, and flip flops.

"Hi Amber." Sheia smiled.

"Oh hi!" Amber greeted. "Come in Sheia! Didn't expect you to come over."

"How do you like the new house?" She asked as she walked with Amber to the dining room.

"Oh everyone loves it. Thank you really." Said Amber.

"Hi Sheia!" Trudy smiled. The rest of the Mallrats greeted her from the living room. "How nice of you to drop by!"

"How's everyone?" Sheia asked.

"Well it's a Saturday," said Jack as he opened the fridge for an apple. "Basically everyone's just lying around the house or watching TV. Ruby's out to work, and Ebony's out with Slade."

"Well that's good." Sheia smiled. "Um, I was wondering. Is Jay around?"

"Jay?" Amber looked at Sheia. "Yeah he's probably upstairs."

"Do you mind?" Sheia pointed at the stairs.

Amber looked at her weirdly. Trudy thought otherwise. "Go right ahead." Trudy smiled.

Sheia smiled as she walked upstairs. Once she got to the top of the stairs, she noticed that all the doors were labeled with the names of the kids that occupied the rooms. She looked at all the labels, looking for Jay's name. While looking, she ran into someone familiar. "Oh, hello Cloe."

Cloe looked at Sheia. "Oh, hello. What are you doing here?" She felt weird talking to her, especially because they went with the same guy.

"Um, I'm looking for Jay actually." Sheia was confused. "Do you know where is his room?"

"Yeah." Cloe thought it was a little odd that she was looking for Jay. "Right down the end of the hallway."

"Thanks." Sheia smiled and walked down the hall. Cloe watched her walk down the hall, thinking about Ved. _What did he see in her? Whatever._ Cloe shook her head and went downstairs. Sheia reached the door that said 'Jay/Sammy.' She knocked on the door and waited. No one opened the door, so she opened it herself. "Jay?"

Jay was in scrambling around, wearing his black pants, and without a shirt. "SHEIA!" His eyes widened.

"OH." Sheia felt a little awkward standing there in the same room as him, especially because he was shirtless. "I'm sorry, I'll come back."

Sheia was about to leave. "No, um it's okay. Sorry, it's just a big mess here." Jay blushed red. He quickly found a shirt in the closet and pulled it on. Sheia was slightly pink, trying not to say a word. He put away the stray clothes on the floor to make space and pulled out a chair. "Sorry about that, here sit."

"Oh, thanks." She sat down as he sat on his bed looking at her.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Jay. "Need my help or anything?" In truth, Jay missed Sheia. He hadn't seen her in weeks, and he was more than happy that she stopped by for a visit.

"Um, actually." Said Sheia. "Things have been really weird. I've been getting letters from a secret admirer and for some reason, I'm just feeling so happy. Not that it's a bad thing. But I feel like I really want to know who this person is. He might even be someone I could see myself with."

Jay felt like his heart lunged down a cliff. His feelings were becoming stronger for Sheia, it hurt for him to know that she might be interested on someone else. At the same time, he felt there was nothing he could do. "Do you have any idea on who it could be?"

"I don't know." Sighed Sheia. "But I'm willing to find out. But at the same time, something keeps asking me if this is what I really want."

"What do you want?" Jay asked looking into her hazel eyes, which were pigmented with a little blue, matching her jacket.

"I guess…" She thought. "I wanna be in love again."

Jay knew it. She was in love with Ved, but now all she wanted was to find someone who could love her just as much, if not more. "It's natural. And I don't doubt that whoever this guy is, he's got good taste."

Sheia smiled and looked at Jay. "That's what I love about talking to you. I can tell you anything."

"You can count on me." He smiled.

"Jay," she said as he looked up at her. "Do you ever see us you know…more than friends? Just curious."

Jay felt like he was put in an interrogation room. Like a criminal, but the only crime he ever committed was falling for the princess. "Um, I honestly can't afford to let myself do that."

"How do you mean?" She wondered.

"Well, you deserve better." Said Jay cautiously. "I can't possibly meet your standards. I'm just an ordinary guy."

"Ordinary isn't a bad thing." Sheia soon felt her heart pumping. Jay was just frozen at the words she just said.

"I…" Jay was at a lost for words. _Am I dreaming? Does that mean she feels the same way?_

"I don't know what's happening." Sheia said as if she was talking to herself. She got up from the chair and headed to the door.

"Sheia…wait." Said Jay.

"Jay, I feel like this is wrong." Sheia was soon holding her head as if she had a pounding headache. "I don't know what I'm feeling."

"Are you okay?" Jay walked over to her.

"I have to go." She was soon feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Before even opening the door, she fainted. Jay caught her before she fell to the floor. He carried her to his bed.

"Sheia? Can you hear me?" Jay tried to check if she made a reaction. "Sheia?"

"Huh?" She mumbled.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh." She slowly sat up. "Yeah, I think I better go."

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" he helped her up.

"Yeah. Thanks for listening." She said as if their little heated conversation never happened. She showed herself out, and headed home. Jay went downstairs to the dining room, where Amber, Trudy, and Salene were talking.

"What did Sheia want, Jay?" asked Amber curiously.

"Oh." He scratched his head. "She just wanted to talk."

"Wow, you must be special." Said Amber.

"Sure." Jay sighed.

Once Sheia got home, she realized that there was a visitor in the house. Strangely, it was Raven.

"He wanted to talk to you." Said Bree. "Honestly, I couldn't show him out. He makes it sound like it's important. He's in the quad."

"Great." She said sarcastically as she headed to the quad. Raven was standing looking at the view of the city. "What do you want?"

"Oh, Sheia." He turned around. "I've been meaning to talk to you in private."

"What now?" She asked plainly.

"You're probably gonna freak out." He said. "And you probably might not like it."

"Try me." She said.

"I know who's been sending you letters and roses." He said slowly.

Sheia gave him a look. "How would you know? How do you even know that I've been getting letters!"

"Because…" he took a deep breath. "_No matter how pretty the rose is, it doesn't compare to your beauty_." He pulled out three roses and handed it to her.

Sheia's eyes widened with shock. Above all the people in Xelia, it was the one person she couldn't stand that admired her the most. "This can't be…you hate me!"

"Smell the roses." He said looking at her. She looked at the fresh roses and smelled the scent.

"That smell…" she soon felt that feeling of euphoria again. "But why?"

"I guess you could say that it was the only way I could've let you know how I felt." He stared into her eyes. "I've fallen for you since the day we met. And I only realized now that my feelings are too strong to put away."

"I would have never guessed." She said nervously. He walked towards her and took her shaking hand. "It was you."

"Yes it is." He whispered and leaned in for a kiss. She hesitated at first, but something made her give in.


	19. Tension

A/N:Ahh…the craziness in my fanfic. Gotta love it. )

**Chapter 19 – Tension**

"I'm sorry I never came out clean," said Raven. "Till now."

"But, why?" Sheia was confused. "You never liked me." She sat down on a chair.

"I tried to hide my feelings from you, especially because I was one of your cabinet members." He sat next to her. "But obviously, I couldn't hide them any longer. All I ask you, is to just give us a chance. Give me a chance."

Sheia looked at him. She felt something take over herself, but she didn't know it was. "Okay, I will."

"Thank you." He smiled and kissed her on the lips.

Jay sat in his bed thinking about Sheia. He screwed it up. It was his chance to finally tell her how he felt, but he choked. He regretted ever messing up for himself. Later that day, Sammy came in the room.

"You're still sitting around?" Sammy thought as he jumped on his bed on the other side of the room.

"Not my day, Sammy." Jay sighed.

"It's the princess huh?" He thought. "I see the way you look at her. Even Amber's noticed it. She's not taking it very well."  
Jay shrugged. "What can I do Sammy? I've got it bad."

"You're not the only one with problems." He sighed. "There's this girl I kinda like at school, Reena. The thing is, she reminds me of Mouse. I don't know what's gotten into me."

Jay smirked. "You miss her, don't you?"

"I miss her being around." He thought. "I hope she's okay."

"You'll see her again." Jay assured him. "As for me, I don't know what I should do."

"Just tell her Jay." Sammy said firmly. "If you really like her, I say just do it. Can't hurt right?"

"You're right." Said Jay. He finally got up from his bed and stretched his arms. "See you later Sammy."

"Jay." It was Ved. He was sitting with Cloe and Salene in the living room.

"Oh hey." Jay scratched his head. "Day off too?"

"Yup." Ved replied. Jay noticed that Ved was wearing blue jeans, and a printed buttoned-shirt over a blue long-sleeve. "You wanna go to the movies with us? Reed's coming by to take all of us."

"Oh, I don't know." Jay sat down.

"Come on Jay." Salene insisted. "Ask Sheia to come along too. It could be a group date."

Ved raised an eyebrow. "Jay, you never told me you and Sheia…"

"No we're not." Jay interrupted. "It's nothing."

"Oh come on stop denying it." Said Cloe. "She went to visit you in your room this morning."

"Is that so?" Ved said surprisingly. Ved wasn't too keen on that idea, but tried to brush it off. "Well then, are both of you coming?"

"No." Jay said firmly. "No movie. You guys have fun tonight." Jay got up and left the living room.

"Don't know why he has to deny it." Cloe shrugged. "He should be more like you. And look how we turned out!" She kissed Ved on the cheek.

"Yeah." He said quietly.

A month and a couple of weeks went by, and Jay hasn't seen Sheia since she visited him at the house. He was always at work, so his chances of ever stopping by her house were dismal. In one day at work, Jay was in the lunchroom watching the news when Ved came in.

"Taking your break?" asked Jay.

"Finally." Ved sat down on the couch. "We've got only a couple of hours to go."

"Tell me about it. My feet are sore after going off patrolling again." Jay had his feet resting on the coffee table.

"Jay." Ved began. "Tell me honestly, do you like Sheia? Tell me the truth."

"Well," Jay stuttered. "Yeah, I do." Suddenly, an awkward silence meant tension between the two brothers.

"Hey, at least you've found someone right?" Ved tried to break the silence.

"Sorry brother." Said Jay. "I didn't think you'd approve of it. I would've told you sooner…"

"Why apologize?" Ved took a deep breath. "It's not like I like her anymore. There's really no need for an apology. I'm happy with Cloe, and I hope you'll be happy with Sheia."

"Look Ved," said Jay. "You're my brother, and I really don't want any of these awkward moments about who's going out with who anymore. So, if there's any problems, swear to talk about what's going on?"

"Of course. You can tell me anything." Ved nodded. Although Jay tried to get rid of the tension, Ved still had a weird feeling. Was it anger? Or was it jealousy?

The door of the lunchroom opened again, this time it was Bree. Neither Jay or Ved saw her for a long time, and it was a surprise that she actually stopped by their station, especially because she was stationed with Gene in the downtown station.

"Bree," Ved looked at her. "What's up?"

"Long time no see guys." She greeted. They could easily tell that something wasn't right. "I'm actually here to pass on a little news. Well, a message I guess."

"Do tell." Said Jay.

"We're actually coming over to your house tonight, Jay." Explained Bree. "Sheia has some important news to tell all of you."

"Is there something wrong?" Jay was concerned. Ved looked at him weirdly, and then at Bree.

"Well, Sheia will tell you." Bree sighed. "Honestly, she's been acting really weird lately. Do you know anything about it, Jay?"

"I haven't seen her in awhile to tell you the truth." Jay shrugged.

"Well then," she clapped her hands together. "I'll see you guys later."

"What do you think it could be?" Jay thought.

"No clue." Ved shrugged. After their day of work, Jay, Ved, and Ram went back to the house.

"That was absolutely the worst day at school." Said Lex drinking a glass of juice. "Down right dirt."

"Well," said Slade. "we made it out alive."

"Oh come on guys, it wasn't that bad." Said Trudy.

"Easy for you to say." Said Lex. "Mr. Lars thinks you're the brain of the whole class. You're gonna be out of school before any of us."

It was true. One of Trudy's teachers, Mr. Lars, noticed that Trudy was much smarter than a lot of students in her level. She was going to be able to finish school in less than two months. "Hey, anyone can do it. Can you guys help clean up? Sheia's stopping by in a couple of hours."

"How was school for you?" Ved saw Cloe sitting on the couch.

"It was okay, I don't have Mr. Lars as my teacher." Said Cloe. "I heard he's a real pain on quizzes. Sucks you had to go home early today."

"Well, Reed needed more troops in the station because there was a lot of guys that called in sick." Explained Ved.

The doorbell rang. It was Sheia, along with Bree, Lilah, Gene, and Raven. Ebony saw them come in, giving Raven a weird look. "Please come in. I had Slade call everyone upstairs to the living room." Said Trudy. "Good news I'm guessing?"

"Really good news." Smiled Sheia. Bree, Lilah, and Gene looked somewhat troubled. They entered the living room, where all the Mallrats were sitting anxiously. Jay came downstairs and felt butterflies when he saw Sheia.

"Hi Sheia." Said Jay.

Sheia hardly noticed him till she looked. "Oh, hello Jay. I guess all of you are wondering what's the big news about. Well, I don't know if any of you knew about my little dilemma about that whole ordeal with having a man by my side to run the city with me."

Jay's heart skipped a beat. _What is she saying? I haven't seen her in the longest time and now she has some huge news?_

"Come on Sheia, what is it?" asked Amber.

"I'm inviting all of you to a party." Sheia smiled. She seemed really happy and blushed red.

"Wow! A party!" Lottie exclaimed.

"What's the occasion?" Ellie wondered.

"That's another part of my news." Sheia reached out for Raven's hand and held him close. "This is Raven, one of my loyal cabinet members. And well, the event's actually an engagement party. WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" She smiled showing off her little diamond ring on her finger.

"Married?" Ved and Jay said simultaneously. Cloe gave Ved a look.

Ved cleared his throat. "Wow, that's great!"

"Yeah, really." Said Jay. His heart was crushed. "Congratulations, to both of you."

"That's quite the news!" Amber and Trudy got up and hugged Sheia. Gene, Bree, and Lilah had faint smiles, though it was obvious that they weren't too happy.

"So, it's gonna be on Saturday at 7 in the Downtown Xelia Hall." Said Sheia still holding on to Raven.

"We hope to see you all there." Smiled Raven. Jay and Ved looked at Raven with a malicious look. Sheia left with Raven and her cousins.

"I've really gotta get some clothes for that party!" Gel said excitedly.

"I'm actually gonna agree with Gel on that." Ruby joked. Jay was not in the mood for the conversation and went upstairs to his room and closed the door. Ved knew what Jay was going through, so he followed him to his room.

"Jay." Ved knocked. He didn't answer. Ved opened the door and found Jay sitting on his bed with his arms crossed. He sat on Sammy's bed. "Not too happy huh?"

"Definitely not." Sighed Jay. "I should've told her when I had the chance."

Ved looked down at the floor then at Jay. "You love her don't you?"

Jay hesitated, but a promise is a promise between brothers. "Yeah I do. I really do. And now, she's far from my reach. I screwed it up."

Ved closed his eyes. Suddenly, his memories with Sheia were rushing through his mind. "Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault."

"IT IS." Jay punched his pillow. "She told me there could be something between us, and I didn't say a thing. If I just told her, this wouldn't have happened."

Ved didn't know what he was feeling. It seemed that Jay's jealousy of Ved months before traded off with Ved being jealous of his older brother. But not only that, they shared the jealousy of Raven as well. "She didn't say a word."

"Nothing." Said Jay. "I was just another guy in the room."

"She loved you Jay." Ved said quietly. Ved knew it. He knew how Sheia was, and for her to come out telling Jay about her feelings, meant that she had fallen for Jay. But now, she moved on. The room was now quiet with the two brothers thinking deep in their hearts. There was more tension, something that they both tried to avoid. Jay was in love with Sheia. Ved was torn between his relationship with Cloe and his feelings for Sheia. Somewhere else in Xelia, Sheia was, to their dismay, happy with Raven.

A/N: I just dropped a bomb didn't I? Once again, the plot thickens.


	20. Getting Dates

A/N: Bloody hell, such drama, such chaos…not power and chaos though. Anyways, yes everything is just crashing down by the moment. After this chapter, I'm pretty much going to drop a bomb in every chapter…well _most_ of them. There's a warning…now, the next chapter. )

**Chapter 20 – Getting Dates**

Jay and Ved didn't talk to each other after they're depressing moment in Jay's room. Ved no longer wanted to talk to Jay, as jealousy took over him. Ved was now confused, and couldn't tell what his heart really longed for. Jay was still saddened by the fact that the time he actually found a girl that he really liked, she was instantly taken by someone else. It seemed that everyone else in the house was excited for the famous engagement party Sheia announced.

"I'm gonna have to get myself a date." Said Gel dreamily in her Geometry class, which Gerie was in it as well. "I wonder who will it be?"

"Who says you have to have a date?" Gerie wondered as she copied down the notes from the board. "As long as you've got a dress, you're good to go. I'm sure there will be some cute guys at the party."

"Oh yeah…" Gel thought.

"It's all in the brain, Gel." Gerie pointed at her head with her pencil.

Meanwhile, Ellie and May were talking in hushed tones in study period at the library.

"Well easy for you," said May scribbling on her notebook. "You're going with Jack. That's an easy one."

"Well," whispered Ellie. "What about Derrek? Do you know if he's going?" Ellie and May looked at Derrek who was at another table with his friends, playing a silly game of tic TAC toe on their notebooks.

"I have no clue." May shook her head. "There's no way."

"If you ask me," a voice whispered. It was Lex. During Ellie and May's study period, Lex had library aid as his class. Most of the time during that period, he would try to teach himself how to become a better reader. "You'd better get a move on, May. Those girls on that other table are thinking of doing a little flirting to get him to go on a date on Saturday."

"You're bluffing." May said plainly.

"No joke." Said Lex shelving some books. "I'm a library aid, I hear EVERYTHING."

"You've become an eavesdropper." Accused Ellie.

"Hey, I am letting you in on the dirt. Give me some credit will you?" Lex shrugged. "So, better get a move on." Lex continued to shelve books by Ellie and May's table.

"Here." Ellie tore a sheet of paper from her notebook and wrote 'Come over here. –May' on the paper. She crumpled it up and was handing it to May.

"Ellie, that's childish." May looked at her. "No way."

"You're never gonna get anywhere." Ellie threw the crumpled paper at Derrek, which to her anticipation hit his head.

"You're kidding me!" May shrieked. She was now blushing red. Ellie watched Derrek as he opened the paper. One of Derrek's friends read the paper, and urged him to go talk to May. Soon enough, Derrek got up and was walking towards May and Ellie.

"May?" Derrek said shyly.

"Hi, Derrek." May fixed her hair after she had dropped her head on her textbook.

"Um, hey Lex," Ellie got up. "Could you help me find this book?"

"Do your work, woman." Lex ignored her.

"Now, PLEASE." Ellie grabbed Lex's arm as they hid behind a shelf watching May and Derrek.

"You wanted me to come over?" asked Derrek.

"Um," May looked around for Ellie. "Yeah, I did." She said nervously.

"What's up?" He wondered.

"Um, actually I was wondering if you were doing anything Saturday night." Said May. "Any plans?"

"Actually I do." Derek sighed. "I actually have this party to go to, a formal one actually. Why do you ask? Do you have any plans? Because honestly I'd try to get out of that party."

"Oh, actually yeah I had plans too." May shrugged. "I'm going to Princess Sheia's engagement party actually, and you know I kinda wanted a date, or at least a companion of some sort."

"Companion of some sort?" Derrek laughed. "Well, you might just find one."

"Highly doubt it." Said May. "Well, there's always my friends."

"Well," said Derrek. "I would be happy to go with you, since that is the party I have to go to. But since you have your friends…"

"Oh, my friends wouldn't mind." May blurted out. She blushed embarrassingly.

Derrek smiled. "Well, I guess I'll see you at the party."

At the Coastal troop station, Ved was in no mood to have a conversation with his brother. Ram was talking more than usual, especially because he was excited to meet some girls at the party.

"There has to be at least one girl that wants to dance with me." Said Ram as he took a little break at his desk.

"Sure, Ram." Jay yawned. Lately, Jay hasn't been getting enough sleep. He would have dreams of Sheia, but all of them were not at all his paradise. The night before, he dreamt that Raven betrayed her trust, deserting Sheia.

On the other hand, Ved tried to concentrate on his relationship with Cloe. Cloe would always bring up how wonderful it was that Sheia was getting married. Ved knew, that this made her happier, but he wasn't sure if he agreed. "Shit." He cursed as he broke one of his pencils.

"Ved!" It was Cloe. She made a lot more visits, especially because Ved didn't want to drop by the house. She kissed him on the cheek. "How is everything?" She smiled as she saw that Sheia's picture was no longer on his desktop, instead it was a picture of her.

"Pretty exhausting." Ved sighed.

"Do you have something to wear for the engagement party?" She asked.

"Oh," Ved wasn't looking forward to it. "I actually wasn't planning on going."

"All troops have to, Ved. Reed said so." Said Ram. Ved gave him a look.

"Well, I think I'm just gonna wear my formal troop uniform." Ved shrugged. "I think that's what troops are required to wear."

"Oh." Said Cloe. "Well, I already have a dress, but you can't see it yet! It's a surprise."

"Really?" Ved was too tired to stir up the conversation.

"Come on Cloe." It was Salene. It was only the week before that Salene and Reed had made it official. It was normal that she would come by every once and while to visit. "We've got to get back to the house. We need to watch baby Bray."

"Well, I'll see you at school." Cloe kissed Ved on the cheek and left with Salene.

"Before you even ask me, boys," Reed came by with two packages, one for Ram and the other for Jay. "Here's your attire on formal occasions. Make sure you wash before you wear."

"Thanks." Said Jay opening the package. The formal uniform was a little similar to their regular uniform, except the top was more like a suit, and had a badge near the left shoulder.

"Well, that makes things easier." Said Ram.

Back at Sheia's house, Lilah, Bree, and Gene were talking about Sheia's weird behavior.

"She doesn't seem herself." Said Bree worriedly. "When she told me about her and Raven, I didn't think she was serious. And she made it sound like she felt so strongly about him. It's just, weird."

"I guess we have to watch her every move." Suggested Lilah.

"And watch Raven." Gene added. "Even though Sheia thinks he's the 'one,' I still don't trust him. Did he leave yet?"

"Yeah, about five minutes ago." Replied Lilah.

"I'll go check on her." Bree left the common room. She saw Sheia relaxing on one of the couches in the lobby. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Sheia sighed. "Just, really tired. And it's only 4 in the afternoon."

"Maybe you need some rest." Bree sat down.

"I don't know." She closed her eyes. "I just feel really, really tired."

Bree saw that there was another rose left on the table by the couch. "I see Raven's a fan of roses?"

"He's so sweet." Sheia smiled still with her eyes closed. "I could never imagine…"

"Sheia?" said Bree. Sheia no longer answered. She had knocked out. "She barely did anything today." Bree walked back to the common room.

"How is she?" asked Gene.

"Think you oughtta take her upstairs." Said Bree.

"She just knocked out?" Gene followed Bree to the living room.

"She seemed really exhausted." Bree shrugged. Gene picked up Sheia, who didn't wake at any sudden movement.

"A rose again?" said Lilah.

Gene, Bree, and Lilah walked upstairs and headed towards Sheia's room. Bree inputted a code outside Sheia's door, a code in which only their family knew. "Okay, there we go." Gene laid her on her bed and Bree tucked her in under the sheets.

"It's just weird how she's just sleeping. Even if we brought her up here." Lilah wondered.

"Let her sleep." Said Gene as the three of them left her room.

Jay and Ram came home to house full of kids running around talking about the party. Ram headed straight upstairs and dropped on his bed. Jay took off his boots and headed to the kitchen, but he stopped hearing that Cloe and Ebony were in a deep conversation.

"It's taking him forever." Complained Cloe. "It's ruining everything."

"Chill will you?" Ebony said in hushed tones. "Don't worry, you'll get what you want, and I'll get what I want."

"What is it you girls want?" Jay intruded.

"To marry Ved of course!" said Cloe.

"One day we'll find that one person," said Ebony. "And we'll get married, just like Sheia."

Jay looked at her. "Whatever." He took a glass of water and left the kitchen. Saturday eventually came. Most of the Mallrats were all busy getting ready for the engagement party.

"Are you sure you're okay staying Ruby?" asked Amber.

"Don't worry." Ruby assured her. "Besides, someone needs to watch the kids. Right Lottie?"

"Of course." Said Lottie as she played with Brady.

"You just have fun and I'll do the babysitting." Ruby smiled.

"Thank you so much Ruby for looking after Brady." Said Trudy. "Amber could you tie this for me?" Trudy wore a navy blue halter dress. Amber was wearing almost a similar dress, except hers was shorter and was a blue-green color.

"Can we go yet?" complained Cloe, who was sporting a silky black dress with glitters on it. She actually let her hair down. "I'm supposed to be meeting Ved."

"Can't you just wait?" Gel rolled her eyes. Above everyone else, Gel was the most prepared, already strapping her heels on.

Lex, Sammy, and Slade were in the living room watching TV. "I don't know what's taking so long." Slade groaned.

"I'm hungry." Sammy complained.

"Guess all the boys are ready." Ram came downstairs with Jay. "So who you taking Jay?"

"Since when did we need dates?" Jay put on his black shoes.

"Reed told us. Don't worry I don't have one too." Ram shrugged. Amber and Trudy came downstairs followed by Gel, Ellie, Ebony, and Cloe.

Jay thought about it. "Hey Trudy, apparently troops have to go with dates."

"Sure Jay." Trudy answered without even thinking. "You troops, so last minute."

"Uhh…" Ram looked at Amber.

"You're kidding me right?" Amber looked at him.

"It's not like it means anything." Said Ram.

"Fine." Amber shrugged. "Just so you guys don't get in trouble. You're so irresponsible."

"Well that's interesting." Jack ran downstairs wearing matching suits with Lex, Slade, and Sammy. "Wow."

"Come on, we're gonna be late." Said Lex. "I've got the keys for the van." The Mallrats left their house, heading downtown for the engagement party.

"Where's everyone?" Reed asked Salene. Reed had picked her up early, since Reed was required to be at the party early.

"They should be here soon." She thought. Salene wore a long silky maroon dress that nearly touched the floor. The Downtown Xelia Hall was decorated with a winter kind of theme, with guests slowly coming in. Sheia didn't arrive yet, in which Raven was having a conversation with Gene.

"Girls, take forever eh?" said Raven.

"Sure." Gene stood with his arms crossed.

"So, who'd you take?" Raven asked.

"No one." Said Gene. "Oh, Lilah!" Gene walked away from Raven.

"Saved you there didn't I?" Lilah was wearing a short lavender dress with her hair up. "Well, let's just see where this night goes."

Soon enough, the Mallrats arrived. "Hey! You guys are finally here!" Salene waved when she saw them enter through the door.

"Oh my god Sal your dress is gorgeous!" Trudy gave Salene a hug.

"Thank you. I see Jay had to drag you along for his date." Joked Salene.

"No kidding." Trudy laughed.

"Where's Sheia?" Amber wondered as she held onto Ram's arm.

Salene laughed. "That's funny."

"Hey guys." Lilah greeted them. "I'll show all of you to your table." The Mallrats had a reserved table, which was closest to Sheia's table and the dance floor.

"Hey guys." It was May, who had arrived with Derrek. "This is Derrek, my date."

The Mallrats greeted him. "Come on, sit." Smiled Amber.

"PEOPLE OF XELIA, PLEASE RISE." It was one of Sheia's cabinet members, Kendall. He was on a podium by the dance floor, fixing his black bow tie. Everyone stood up.

"Just in time." Cloe came running with Ved to the table.

"I just fixed my suit." Ved was fixing his top cadet suit. Ved and Jay made no eye contact. "Suited up well Ram?"

"I'm just way too good." Ram smirked. Amber couldn't help but laugh.

"PEOPLE OF XELIA, YOUR PRINCESS SHEIA." Kendall announced as the crowd applauded. Sheia walked through the hall and towards the podium wearing a long red tube-style gown and a shiny tiara on top of her elegantly curled hair.

"She's definitely got style." Gel looked at her gown. Cloe clapped impatiently.

"Well, it is her big day." Shrugged Ebony. Jay and Ved clapped without saying a word. Their eyes were locked on Sheia.


	21. Roses

A/N: Graduation…sniff sniff. Time consuming. Sorry for the delay. Oh yes Eli, since you are a Cledism fan I'll give you a Cled moment…maybe even a chapter. Keep reading!

**Chapter 21 – Roses**

"Greetings, people of Xelia. I personally want to thank all of you for coming here tonight. This is probably the most special day in my life, well so far." Sheia smiled at the podium. Raven smiled looking at her. "I feel truly blessed to have found someone that I will live the rest of my life with. Everyone knows that feeling right? Love. You search everywhere looking for that someone, and that person could just be right in front of you."

Ved sighed. He looked down at the floor thinking about the past. _I made a huge mistake._ "Hey, don't be rude." Said Cloe.

"Oh, sorry." Ved looked up listening to the rest of Sheia's speech.

"Well, tonight is going to be a very wonderful night. We have food and drinks," Said Sheia. "Special dances and performances, so sit tight and enjoy." The crowd applauded as they took their seats. Soon, waiters came by taking food to each table.

"Wow…first class I'd say." Said Lex fixing his bow-tie.

Reed and Salene came back and sat at the table. "Jay, Ved, Ram…don't forget."

"Forget what?" asked Ved.

"Troops have their own dance, remember?" said Reed. "We go on the dance floor after Sheia and Raven have their little dance."

"We're all gonna fit in that dance floor?" Ram wondered.

"You forget some troops that came are on duty." Said Jay.

"Ah, at least someone listens." Reed said impressively. On the other side of the hall, Lilah, Bree, and Gene were talking amongst themselves.

"There's something weird." Said Lilah as they all looked at Sheia and Raven. "She always has a rose in her hand. Suspicious maybe?"

"A little." Bree thought. "Think we oughtta check what's in those roses she always holds onto."

"Leave it to me." Said Gene as he walked off. "Sheia!" He called her as she finished talking to Raven.

"Yes?" Sheia wondered, holding onto the rose.

"Your friends are here. You forget?" Gene reminded her.

"OH YES!" Sheia gasped and looked at the crowd. She spotted the mallrats occupied in one of the tables. "I should huh?"

"Go on." Said Gene. "Here, I'll hold this for you." He took the rose.

Sheia looked at it. "Hmm…thanks Gene." She smiled and walked away. Raven stood there with a transfixed look.

"I guess I'll get some drinks." Said Jay as he got up from the table.

"I'm just hungry." Lex ran off to the buffet.

"Sheia!" Trudy smiled. "You look so beautiful!" Sheia was walking towards their table. Ved walked off and headed after Lex.

"Thank you Trudy." Sheia smiled, carefully lifting her red gown as she walked. "How's everyone doing tonight?"

"Pretty good." Said Jack. "Lovin' the place, Sheia."

"Thank you. All of you are welcomed to get some food and drinks." Sheia pointed at the buffet. "Is someone missing?"

"Well, Ruby's at home," said Salene. "watching the kids. Jay, Lex, and Ved went off to get some food and drinks."

"If there's anything I can do, just call on me okay?" Sheia reminded them.

"Of course." Smiled Amber. Sheia visited other tables to welcome all the guests.

"Gene." Called Lilah. "Did you get it?"

"Certainly did." Gene pulled out the rose from his suit and showed it to Lilah and Bree. "It's got some kind of smell. Whatever it is, seems like I'm not affected by it."

"Hmm…" Lilah thought. She smelled the rose. "True, it has a smell, but I don't feel any different."

Bree also smelled the rose. "You think it's specifically made for Sheia?"

"Probably." Lilah scratched her head. "I could probably take it to my office tomorrow and do some investigating. I could probably find out what's in it. I'll go get a bag for it." Lilah took off.

"What do you think Raven's trying to pull?" Bree asked.

"Nothing good." Gene crossed his arms.

Meanwhile, Jay was getting some drinks at the beverage fountains. As he was getting some glasses to fill, he saw Ved walking by. "Ved."  
Ved stopped and looked at his brother. "Yeah?"

"I know things are really…" Jay began.

"Tense?" Ved replied plainly.

"Between us. Yes." Said Jay.

"Look Jay, I just can't deal with this kind of crap right now. Not here." Said Ved as he was about to walk off.

"Ved." It was Sheia. "Jay. Enjoying yourselves?"

"Yeah. Just fine." Jay shook his head and left Ved with Sheia.

"How are you?" asked Sheia. "I haven't talked to you for the longest time."

"Okay I guess." Ved looked at her. "It's good to see you're happy with what's his name…"

"Raven." She smiled. "Yeah, he's great. I do hope you come to the wedding. I don't remember clearly what happened between us, but hey, we're both happy right?"

"Yeah…" He looked at her weirdly. "What do you mean you don't remember clearly?"

"It just seems like a blur you know?" Sheia thought. "We were together, then we weren't. Not much there huh?"

"Sure thing." Ved thought. "You okay?"

"Yeah, great." She smiled. "Well, catch you later." She walked off. She suddenly felt a little piercing pain on her head.

"Sheia," It was Bree. "Is something wrong?"

She felt dizzy. "No, probably just a headache. No worries."

"There you are!" Raven came running. "We're about to start the dance with the rest of the troops. Come on, I know you've been waiting."

"Of course." Sheia nodded. "I'll see you later, Bree."

Bree found Lilah. "You might want to keep an eye on her. Something's not right."

"Well, the rose is in my purse." Said Lilah. "So hopefully Raven didn't carry extras."  
"Now, for the dance of our lovely couple!" Kendall announced. "Get ready troops, you'll soon be joining."

"Can't wait." Said Amber.

"It'll be over in two seconds." Ram assured her.

"You three ready with your dates?" asked Reed as Jay came back to the table.

"Pretty much." Ved replied, playing with the candles on the table.

"This is so exciting!" Cloe smiled. "Come on Ved, don't spoil it." Sheia and Raven walked to the dance floor hand-in-hand. The crowd applauded as the music started. Turns out, the dance was actually a waltz.

"I don't know how to waltz." Ram's eyes widened.

"Just wing it." Said Jay. "You'll be fine." He looked at Sheia. She was smiling as she danced with Raven. She looked happy. It was that smile that got Jay hooked in the first place.

"Ah, lovely." Said Kendall. "Now if I may ask, the troops to please join the couple on the dance floor."

"That's our cue." Smiled Salene.

"Come on, Trudy." Jay stood up. "Let's dance." Jay and Trudy walked to the dance floor, followed by Ram and Amber, and then finally Ved and Cloe. Reed and Salene had been the first to go.

"Hand on my waist," said Amber. "and the other holding my hand."

"Okay, I got this." Ram took a deep breath.

"Finally, a real dance." Smiled Cloe. "Isn't this great?"

"Yeah…" Ved replied as he glanced at Sheia. Sheia looked at him, only to make him turn away.

"Do you have feelings for her?" asked Trudy as she danced with Jay.

"We've been through this already." Said Jay. "Amber and I…"

"No." Trudy corrected. "Sheia."

Jay sighed. "Um…"

"Jay," said Trudy. "It's okay. I mean, what kind of guy wouldn't like her eh? She's special to you. I know."

Jay looked at Trudy. "You have no idea."

The dance floor was now crowded with Xegian troops and their dates. Amber and Ram had fortunately tried to dance like everyone else, with the exception of Ram stepping on Amber's toes a couple of times. "When is this gonna end?" Amber complained after feeling Ram's foot on her toes.

"Sorry!" said Ram.

"This is more than two seconds Ram!" She eyed him. Soon enough, the song had ended.

Sheia was breathing heavily. "Wow."

"Do you need water?" asked Raven.

"Let me just step out for a little bit." She replied. "I need some fresh air."

"Do you want me to accompany you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Just go get yourself some water." She went out of the exit door to the parking lot and held onto the railings by the stairs. She now felt like her head wouldn't stop spinning. It was like she kept hearing an endless beeping sound. She slowly walked down the stairs, carefully holding onto the railings. She needed to rest. _What is wrong with me? Too much is going on in my head._ She looked around and all she could see were cars everywhere. _Rest. Lay down._ She was now stumbling on her feet trying to look for an open car. Every car in the area was locked. After trying to open so many doors, and setting off alarms, she threw herself into the backseat of car.

"This party blows." Said Ved going to get a drink with Lex.

"Chill lover boy." Said Lex. "Your darling's gonna have a cow with you."

"Funny." Said Ved sarcastically. "I can't take this. I'm gonna leave. Tell Cloe I had to go."

"Suit yourself." Shrugged Lex and Ved left. Outside of the entrance, he noticed that there were some troops walking around the parking lot.

"Hey." Ved called to one of them. "What's going on?"

"Some alarms went off." Said the troop. "But luckily no cars were stolen. We haven't found anybody walking around either. Probably it was the noise level from the hall. Leaving early?"

"Yeah. Not feeling too good." Ved walked off to find his car. He put the key into the hole and noticed that it was already unlocked. "Hmph. Guess I forgot." He got in and started the car. _Fuckin party._ He drove off, heading back to the troop compound. At the traffic light, he sat impatiently listening to some romantic songs on the radio. _Pure crap._ He turned off the radio. As the light stayed red, he took off his troop uniform jacket and threw it behind him to the backseat. _Finally, it's green._ After five minutes, he finally reached the compound.

"Back early?" the guard at the gate asked.

"Yup. Not feeling to good." Ved sighed.

"Okay, go right ahead. You've had a long night." He opened the gate for Ved.

"Thanks." Ved drove off and found a parking spot near his pad. He set the car on park, pulled the break, and turned off the engine. He sat there just thinking. _Let's call it a night._ He opened the door and locked his car. He saw through the window that a couple of lights were on. He opened the door and found one of his roommates watching t.v. "Skipped the party?"

"Didn't feel like going." He replied. "You?"

"I left early." Replied Ved. "Wasn't feeling it."

"Here." He threw Ved a pack of cigarettes. "Takes the stress out of me."

Ved was always pressured to smoke when he was around a lot of troops. Now seemed like the perfect time to get some stress out of the way. "Here, I'll just take one." He took a cigarette out of the box and handed it back to the troop.

"Lighter's by the door." He kept the pack in his pocket.

"Thanks." Ved took the lighter and stepped outside. Advantage of the second floor rooms was that he could just hang around by the railings. From that spot, he could see the city lights in a distance. "Okay, let's light this." He put the cigarette in his mouth and lighted the end. He slowly inhaled the smoke, and slowly exhaled. _Hmph, not bad._ He stared at the city lights for the rest of the time he smoked. _So many regrets. So many mistakes. Why can't it just all go away?_ Soon, his cigarette was more than halfway done. Suddenly, his communicator went off.

"What the hell?" Ved wondered. He held his cigarette and answered his communicator. "Ved."

"Hey Ved, you left early?" It was Reed.

"Yeah, wasn't felling too good." Ved continued to smoke. "Why?"

"Well, have you seen Sheia anywhere when you left?" he asked.

"Can't say that I did." Ved replied surprisingly. "She missing?"

"Yup." Said Reed. "I've put everyone on a search. If you find her anywhere, make sure you contact me. Raven's going through a temper tantrum."

"Alright." Ved rolled his eyes. He kept his communicator back in his pocket. Ved stood there thinking about it. _Where the hell is she?_ _Fuck, might as well._ He ran downstairs and back to his car. Suddenly, he heard a clicking noise. It was coming from his car. It started shaking. Ved pulled out his gun and pointed it to the door. "Who's there!"

The door opened as Ved stepped forward to see what was inside. He saw the familiar eyes and the red dress. It was Sheia, laying on the backseat of his car. Ved's cigarette fell off his mouth. "I didn't…know…you smoked." There was something strange about her. She was pale and looked like she was shivering from the cold.

"Sheia…what are you doing here?" Ved asked as he put his gun down.

Sheia was breathing heavily. "I don't know." There were tears in her eyes as she looked at herself. "Make the pain stop. It hurts." She was now holding onto her head as if she had a big migraine.

"What hurts?" Ved helped her stand on her feet.

"Everything. I don't know…" she talked as if she was being tortured. "It hurts! STOP IT! WHAT IS THIS! WHAT AM I DOING!" She pushed Ved away from her.

"Sheia, what's wrong?" Ved stared at her as she stood still.

"I can't remember…" She slowly collapsed as Ved broke her fall.

"Sheia…" Ved called her name. Her eyes were closed, and she was cold as ice. "Sheia…can you hear me?" Ved was now in a state of panic. He felt a spot on her neck for a pulse. The beating was faint.


	22. Urgent

A/N: Okay I know it's been awhile. School is hectic and I haven't watched the Tribe in ages! Well, I tried to get back to the story.

**Chapter 22 – Urgent**

"Sheia? Sheia…please…" Ved's heart couldn't pound any faster. He pulled out his communicator. "Reed!"

There was a short static noise. "Ved? Have you found her?"

"You won't believe where I found her. But that doesn't matter right now, she's out cold." Said Ved. "She was conscious for awhile, but she just knocked out. Her pulse isn't strong."

"Take her to the hospital as fast as you can. I'll contact the ER at the hospital, I'll see you there." Reed ordered.

"Got it." Ved tucked back his communicator. "Come on Sheia, stay with me." He carried her almost lifeless body into the backseat of his car. He quickly got into the driver's seat and sped off, heading towards the hospital.

"Where is she?!" Raven yelled.

"Raven," Bree tried to calm him down. "I just got news from Reed that Ved found her. He's rushing her to the hospital right now, she's unconscious but I'm sure she'll be fine."

"VED!?" Raven's hands formed into fists. "HE found her?!"

"Ved?" Cloe overheard their conversation.

"You better tell your boyfriend to back off my fiancé!" Raven yelled at Cloe. Cloe stared in shock, speechless.

"Gene, is she alright?" Jay asked.

"Ved's taking her to the hospital. You coming?" Gene asked as he headed towards his car.

Jay bit his lip. He wanted to know that she was going to be okay. "Trudy!"

"Yeah?" Trudy wondered.

"I'll be going with Gene to the hospital. Make sure everyone gets home." Said Jay. Trudy nodded as she told everyone to gather up.

Ved stopped right in front of the emergency entrance of the hospital. "SOMEBODY HELP!" He yelled as he took Sheia in his arms, running towards the entrance. He entered the nearly empty lobby. "ANYONE HERE?!?!?! Oh god…Sheia…please wake up…"

"Yes?" a nurse came running out. "Oh my god…"

"Please, she's unconscious." Ved pleaded.

"Hurry. Follow me." The nurse led him to the emergency room. "Set up IV's in room 5!!! Hurry!" Suddenly a team of nurses helped Ved put Sheia on a bed.

"Sir you're going to have to step out. We'll take it from here." The nurse showed him out. Ved looked at Sheia. They were now hooking her up to an IV and starting up an oxygen tank. She looked helpless. _Please be okay…_

"Ved." Gene, Jay, and Reed entered the lobby followed by a couple more troops.

"They're taking care of her." Said Ved. Ved looked around. "Huh. His fiancé is in the ER and he's not even here. Shows he really cares." Ved sat down on one of the chairs in the lobby.

"Boy's got it bad. He doesn't even know it." Reed shrugged as he walked off with Gene. Jay stood there looking at his younger brother.

"Ved…" Jay sat in front of him.

"What?" Ved said plainly. "What does my big brother have to say now?"

Jay sighed. "You and I…we're not any different."

"I'm nothing like you." Ved looked at the floor.

"Ved, I'm in love with her." Said Jay. "And I can't help it."

"What else is new?" Ved eyed him.

"You love her too." Jay looked at him. "I know you do."

Ved's eyes soon became watery. "You've got it all wrong. I'm with Cloe…"

"But that doesn't seem to stop your feelings for her." Jay swallowed nervously.

Ved stayed quiet. He closed his eyes and began to reminisce…

"Sheia!" Ved yelled from her couch in her room. "Could you please hurry up? We're going to be late for dinner." Ved wore something different for a change. He wore a gray silk long-sleeved shirt and some black slacks.

"I'm almost done!" Sheia yelled from her bathroom.

"Any DAY now!" Ved put his feet up on the table. Ten minutes later, Sheia came out wearing a black halter dress that flowed down to her knees, exposing her long tan legs. Half her hair was up, and the rest laid on her bareback.

"Well, I'm done. Let's go?" Sheia said as she put on her heels.

Ved sat up and stared at her. He remained quiet. _Wow_.

"Ved?" Sheia walked towards him. "You okay?"

Ved stood up and held her hands. "I'm just so amazed. It's been six months already? And every time I look at you…it's always like the first time I laid eyes on you. Pure beauty…"

Sheia blushed. "Ved…stop…"

"Why? I'm in love with most beautiful girl in the world." Ved looked into her hazel eyes.

"I love you." She smiled as she laid her hand on his cheek. Ved felt a warm sensation on his face. He leaned towards her and gave her a slow and passionate kiss on the lips.

"I don't know what I'm doing." Ved scratched his head. "I still love her."

The two brothers sat in silence. "Well, let's agree on something. She can't marry Raven."

"No, she can't. I don't think she even knows that she's getting married." Ved muttered.

"What do you mean?" Jay asked.

"She hasn't been the same, Jay." Ved looked at him.

"Guess you know her better than I." Jay sighed.

"Where's Cloe and Ebony?" Trudy wondered as the Mallrats got into the vans.

"We're here!" said Ebony as she and Cloe ran towards the vans.

"Where were you two?" Amber wondered.

"Couldn't find the vans." Cloe shrugged.

The night seemed to pass by quickly. Sheia was still in the ER, and none of the nurses came out with any news. It was one in the morning, and Lilah and Bree showed up.

"How is she?" Bree asked Gene.

"No news yet." Gene shook his head. "Where the hell is Raven? If anything, he should've been here way before she even got here."

"Well, we'll find out later today what exactly is in those roses." Said Bree.

"Excuse me." Said a female doctor.

"How is she?" Lilah asked.

"She's doing fine. She's breathing smoothly again, her temperature's a little cold still, but she should be out this afternoon." She explained.

"Um, do you know what caused this?" Gene asked.

"Well, we did find some toxins in her system. We were able to drain that out of her. Maybe something in the house smells too strong? I know a lot of people that have had this case when working with too many household chemicals like bleach, liquid plumbers, and stuff like that. You might want to check out those items that are used in your house, and always make sure no one is around when the smell is too strong." The doctor explained.

"Huh." Said Gene. "Well, thank you doctor. Is it okay if we check on her?"

"I supposed that would be fine. Just, one at a time please?" she smiled as she walked away.

"It's the roses." Said Lilah. "It's gotta be."

"I'll go check on her." Said Bree as left the lobby.

"Troops, you can go home. We'll take it from here." Said Reed to the troops sleeping in the lobby. "You two can go too."

"I'll stay." Said Ved.

Jay looked at him. "I think I'll stay too."

"Suit yourself, maybe I can ask the nurses if they can give u guys a room or something. You can't sleep on those chairs." Said Reed.

After Bree, Lilah, Gene, and Reed saw Sheia, the nurses led them to the extended ward of the Emergency section of the hospital. Many empty beds gave them a place to sleep for what's left of the morning. Jay went to go see Sheia, but Ved stayed in the lobby.

"You need some rest." Said Lilah to Ved.

"I know, not just yet." Ved had dark circles around his eyes and it was nearly 3 in the morning. After twenty minutes, Jay came back. "She sleeping?"

"Completely. She looks like she's recovering though." Said Jay.

"That's good." Ved nodded.

"Go on. She's all yours." Said Jay as he left to get a bed with the others. Ved stood up and walked by the ER and into the patients' room. Sheia was in a closed section of the room.

"Princess?" one of the nurses asked.

"Yes. I'll be quick." Ved smiled.

"Of course." The nurse allowed him to see Sheia. "I'll be outside if anything." She left him alone with Sheia. He could here the beeping sounds of the machines she was hooked up to. She was breathing, smoothly. Her skin wasn't as pale as before, but she still looked frozen.

"Oh Sheia…" Ved took a chair and sat next to her bed. He looked at all the tubes that led to her body. He hated to see that she wasn't well. He saw her hand, which also had a tube for the fluids. He slowly touched it. Her hand was soft. He hadn't felt her hands for a long time. He gently took her hand and put it on his cheek. She wasn't as warm, but the feeling on his cheek made him feel good. He breathed on her hand, warming it up. He looked at her face, then at her hand. As he breathed on it, he gently kissed it. He stared at her, rubbing her hand. He remembered how she liked it when he'd rub her hands. Suddenly, he heard a cough. "Sheia?"

She was coughing. Ved called the nurse in to check on her. "Princess? Can you hear me?" Sheia stopped coughing. Slowly, and surprisingly, she opened her eyes.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Rest Princess, you're in the hospital, but you're being taken care of very well." The nurse smiled. "Just let me know if anything happens again." She told Ved.

"Thank you." Ved nodded.

"Ved?" Sheia's voice was faint. "What am I doing here?"

Ved let go of her hand and put it on her stomach. "You were unconscious. So I brought you here. Gave me quite a scare."

"Sorry…" she apologized. "Ved…how are you?"

"I'm okay…you?" Ved asked.

She looked around at the machines and the fluids. "Not so great, can't you tell?"

Ved smirked. "You'll be fine."

She smiled at him. "How's Cloe?"

Ved swallowed and looked at her. "Fine I guess. You're getting married Sheia."

"Wow…" she took a deep breath. "Am I really? That's crazy."

"Well…you're quite a girl." Ved stood up and looked into her eyes.

"Ved…" Sheia looked into his eyes. "I missed you."

He took a deep breath. He wanted so much to tell her how he felt. He wanted her to be his. He didn't want Raven to lay a hand on her. "Sheia…please don't do this to me…"

Ved looked down at the floor. Sheia's weak hand found his. "Things have been so crazy, Ved. I'm getting married, and I just recently got over seeing you with a girl that wasn't me. Life is changing."

"I know." Ved looked at her and rubbed her hands. His eyes became watery looking at her face.

"Ved…you know me more than anyone else." She whispered. "If there's anything, at all, give me a reason why I shouldn't marry Raven."

Ved froze. "Sheia…I can't…"

A tear ran down Sheia's cheek. "Then am I doing the right thing?" She let go of his hand and held his cheek.

Ved held her hand on his cheek. She now felt warm, and he felt the same warm feeling again. "Sheia…there are so many things…so many. I can't let you marry someone that you don't love."

"I can't even be with someone that I love." She sighed.

Ved couldn't take it. He was torn. He loved this girl, but he knew it was wrong. He was done thinking. He leaned towards her and kissed her. It was the first in a long time. He teased her soft lips with his tongue, begging for entry. Her tongue met his as they kissed passionately. She broke the kiss, catching her breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"I'm fine." Sheia took deep breaths.

Ved sat down on the chair and buried his face in his hands. "Sheia…I'm so in love with you. But I can't…what is keeping us apart?"

"I don't know…something's always there isn't it?" she asked. "Come here Ved." She held onto his hands.

"I can't seem to let you go." Said Ved. "Even when you're not yourself. I can't stop…"

Sheia sighed. "I have a feeling something bad is going to happen, and I won't be able to stop myself. I need you Ved…"

"Please Sheia…you're the princess. You will do the right things. But please…don't go through with this marriage." Ved begged her.

"Ved…stop me. A part of me wants to go through with it, the other part…just wants to be with you. Something's wrong Ved, promise me you won't let me throw myself into something that I never would dream of. I just want to be myself again." She cried.

He sat her up and held her in his arms. "I promise. I know the real Sheia is in there, and she'll come out again."

"I will always love you." Said Sheia. "Don't make me forget that I do."

"Sleep…rest…" he laid her back down and pulled the sheets over her. "One last kiss…"

"I hope it won't be." Said Sheia as Ved kissed her again. "Please…don't make me forget the one I love."

"I will come back to you…" Ved laid her hand on her stomach and left. It was their secret.

"Anything change?" Jay asked Ved. Everyone else had fallen sleep.

"She woke up…" Ved laid down on an empty bed. "Raven has done something to her, she's not herself. Well, completely."

"I sure hope she'll be alright." Said Jay as he closed his eyes.

Ved laid back on his bed. _She loves me, but I'm going to lose her._ "Me too."

"Wake up Ved." It was Cloe. "You've been asleep for awhile."

"When did you get here? What time is it?" Ved asked.

"Twelve noon. Everyone's in the lobby, got here an hour ago. I think Sheia's still sleeping though." She explained. "Doctors say she'll be out soon."

"Wow, I'm exhausted." Ved sighed.

"Ved?" said Cloe.

"What?" He wondered.

"Would you come with me? I want to visit her, everyone else has." Said Cloe. "And well I figured, you know her. You should come with me."

Ved found it odd, but it was nice of Cloe. "Sure, come on."

"Awake now eh?" Lex asked.

"Not now please." Ved shook his head as Cloe followed him to see Sheia. Sheia was sleeping again.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Cloe asked.

"I'm sure she will." Ved thought about his moment with Sheia. He wondered if he will get the chance to speak to her again.

"I don't know her that much Ved, but she seems really nice." Said Cloe holding onto Ved.

"She's a nice person." Ved nodded.

"Ved!" It was Ebony. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Stay here, Cloe." Ved walked out, confused. "What's up?"

"Well, I don't know. I was just curious, did anyone find out what happened to her? Gene and Bree are busy talking to the other troops, and well Jay seems out of it." Ebony shrugged.

"Don't know for sure, doctors said inhalants of some sort. But who knows. We know for sure she was inhaling some stuff that she probably didn't even know about." Ved figured.

"Ved," Cloe came out. "I think I'm done visiting, we should probably go outside."

"Sure, of course." Ved walked with Cloe and Ebony to the lobby.

About half an hour later, the doctor came with the news that Sheia was up and ready to leave the hospital. Oddly enough, Raven finally showed up.

"Where is my girl!?" Raven stormed in looking for Sheia. A nurse came out pushing Sheia on a wheelchair. She didn't look pale anymore, but she was strangely quiet. "Sheia! How are you? You okay?"

"I'm fine." She said. "I've missed you."

Ved looked at Sheia. It was strange. "What do you wanna do?"

"Go home. Rest a little bit." Said Sheia. "We still on for the wedding?"

Cloe smiled. "That's so cute."

"Of course." Raven kissed her on the forehead. "Can't wait can you?"

"Don't think I can." Sheia smiled.

The Mallrats smiled watching them, but the troops knew otherwise.

When they got back to Sheia's house, Bree, Lilah, Reed, and Gene met up in the kitchen.

"So what did you find?" Gene asked.

"Well," said Bree. "Definitely some chemicals in the rose. We can only imagine how much of those chemicals really affected Sheia. But we know for sure, those roses have impaired her judgment and view on a lot of things."

"How do you know?" Reed asked.

"Well one of the toxins in there, actually chemicals that float into the air, affecting the person closest to it. In this case, Sheia had that rose on her hand a lot. These chemicals affect the brain. She was drugged." Said Bree.

"Raven needs to be exiled off this island. We can't let Sheia marry someone who is controlling her." Lilah said firmly.

"We have to catch him though." Gene thought.

"I think the troops are on to you." Said a voice.

"That could be a real problem. How much dosage was given?" the other asked.

"200 cc…that's a lot. It could take out an elephant." Another voice replied.

"Well let's hope it doesn't kill her." The voice sighed. "This marriage has to happen soon. Only then, our plan will be fully accomplished."


	23. Matrimony

A/N: Yeah, just ignore the whole Mega and Slade thing, I was going to build up a story on that but that's not the main focus of the story. Moving on! )

**Chapter 23 – Matrimony**

Timed passed, it seemed like the Sheia's troop cousins were so close into catching Raven, but an arrest was never made. That time came. Sheia was about to marry a man that wanted control everything. She wasn't aware that she would be selling herself to a future tyrant.

"Today is the day." Sheia told Bree as makeup artists were preparing her for the wedding. Her hair was fixed elegantly and she wore a silk robe as they were doing the finishing touches. "Marriage, I never knew I'd get married so soon. But it's great!"

Bree sighed. She waited for the makeup artists to leave so she can finally talk to Sheia privately. Sheia had chosen Bree as her maid of honor, but Bree couldn't disagree any more. "Sheia, I know this is a big day, but are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course Bree, why wouldn't I?" Sheia smiled.

Bree hated to see her cousin throw her life away. "Sheia, there's something I need to tell you." She took a deep breath. "I don't think you have any idea what's going on. Raven, he's the one that you hated not long ago and I don't think you realize that."

"Bree I know what I'm doing." Sheia assured her.

"I don't think you do. What about Ved? What about Jay?"

Sheia felt as if something struck her chest. She sat there, in silence. "What about them?"

Bree was getting frustrated. "What about them!? You were with Ved for so long and you loved him. Sure things didn't work out, but he cares for you more than you know. And Jay…he's more of a man than Raven will ever be. Think about it Sheia, Raven…he's just using you. He drugged you. Listen to me Sheia, I'm your cousin. I would never let you do something that you'll regret. And if you do marry him, trust me, you will regret every single thing. I'll let you get dressed."

Bree left the room. Sheia sat quietly. _What is she talking about? I'm doing the right thing. I can't run this city alone. What about Ved and Jay?_ She looked at herself in the mirror. She then looked at the floral gown that was left for her to wear. Slowly, she walked towards it and felt the soft material. _This is it…really?_ She was confused. She dressed into her gown and made sure what she saw in the mirror is what everyone wanted to see.

"You're not going to the wedding? Troops are required…" said Ved's roommate.

"I don't care. If I'm suspended because this is a mandatory event, then whatever. I'm fine right here." Ved went back into his room and laid on his bed. He saw the pictures on his drawer, and realized he didn't want to see them again. He brushed all the pictures into one of the drawers, and kept it shut.

"An actual wedding, I've never been to a prestigious event." Said Amber. The wedding was held in a veranda just outside the family's house. The place was big enough to hold about seventy guests, but more had showed up, making the troops gather more chairs.

"I wonder what she's wearing…it must be some really expensive gown." Gel sighed.

"Gel, she's a princess. She can have anything she wants." Said Ruby as she held onto Brady. "Here Trudy, I think she's a little excited."

"Oh come here, giving Ruby a hard time?" Trudy sat Brady on her lap. "Cloe, where's Ved?"

Cloe was talking to Ebony. "Oh, he said he wasn't feeling very well. I don't mind."

Trudy shrugged. "Marriage…I used to think it was just for adults." Said May.

"Anything goes these days." Ellie shrugged. "Jack's been in the bathroom for quite a while."

"I think it was breakfast. I'm not feeling too good as well." Lex sulked in his seat.

"Well thanks guys, I'll remember to cook again." Said Amber.

"Hey have you guys seen Jay?" Ram came running.

"Late Ram?" said Salene. "Jay and Reed are already in their positions."

"Crap." Ram ran towards Jay, who was standing near the groom and the groomsmen.

"Great timing." Jay whispered.

"I really had to go the bathroom, breakfast wasn't so great." Ram shook his head.

"Oh tell me about it. Never let Amber cook again." Jay's eyes widened. "You better get to your post. I think the ceremony's about to start."

Oddly enough, the pianist began playing. Raven dusted off his suit and looked anxiously down the aisle. First was Gerie, throwing rose petals on the floor. She smiled at everyone, knowing that since she was the only one picked for flower girl. Next came Bree, who tried to smile as she walked down the aisle. Finally, it was Sheia. Gene had offered to walk Sheia down the aisle.

"Sheia, I hope you listened to what Bree told you. I know you'll do the right thing." He whispered.

Sheia looked at Gene as they were nearing the end of the aisle. "But…"

"Hello love." Raven put out his arm and smiled at Sheia. She looked at Gene, then at Raven. She took his arm, and proceeded towards Zerg, one of the cabinet members, who was to marry the two.

Sheia suddenly felt a weird sensation. She looked all around the veranda. Guests, cameras, friends, they were all there. She then looked at her husband-to-be, Raven. _Am I doing this?_

"Good morning everyone, we're gathered here today to watch Raven and Princess Sheia, bound themselves together through marriage. Now if there are any of you that believe these two must not be together, speak now or forever hold your peace." Zerg began.

Lilah, who was one of the bridesmaids was about to speak till Bree stopped her. "We have to let her do it herself or else everyone will think we are planning a scheme." Bree whispered.

The veranda was silent. Jay, who was standing by the groomsmen in his post, felt a surge through his body. _She can't do this. She can't. I can't watch her do this._

"Well, let us begin." Zerg smiled. "Do you, Raven, take Princess Sheia, as your lawful wedded wife?"

"I do." Raven smiled.

"And do you, Princess Sheia, take Raven, as your lawful wedded husband?"

"I…" Sheia stuttered. She felt as if her voice had died out.

"Sheia…" Raven became nervous. "What are you doing?"

"Princess?" Zerg waited for an answer. Soon, the veranda was filled with whispers.

"What is she doing?" Sammy asked.

"I don't think she wants to do it." Trudy whispered. It was an awkward moment. It was awkward enough for the people at the wedding, and probably even just as weird for the citizens watching the wedding at their homes.

Someone finally spoke. But it wasn't Sheia. "Sheia…please don't do this." It was Jay.

"Jay, what are you doing?" Sheia looked at him. He walked towards her and took her hand.

"Excuse me troop, but you're interrupting an important event!" said Raven.

"Sheia," Jay looked into her eyes. "you don't want to do this. No one wants you to do this. Do you love him? Do you truly love this man?"

Sheia's eyes welled up in tears. "I…I don't." The veranda soon filled up with commotions.

"Sheia don't listen to him! What we have, no one can keep us apart!" yelled Raven. He pushed Jay away. "Come on love, don't you want to get married?"

"Don't listen to him Sheia, he doesn't care for you." Said Jay. "He doesn't love you either. He just wants power. He wants to take Xelia for himself! Don't let anyone take your city away from you. There's so much more Sheia, you can marry whoever you want to. But it's not going to be him."

"Are we doing this or not?" Zerg said impatiently.

"Come on Sheia, he's just a troop. He knows nothing." Raven chuckled as he took her arm.

"Don't touch me." She stepped away from him. She looked around once more. The confused faces, the cameras, the people…_what am I doing?_ She looked at herself. She held a bouquet of roses and wore a floral gown, that wasn't much her type. "This is not me."

"Sheia, what are you…" Raven tried to embrace her.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled. Gene and Reed stood by Raven, watching him. "There will be no wedding today. I'm sorry to all of you who came, I promise I will make it up to you."

"You stupid girl." Raven said angrily. "You will never run this city on your own."

"Shut up!" Sheia threw the bouquet at Raven. "You will never get the chance to run this city. Take him away." Sheia walked out of the veranda as Gene, Reed, and Ivan struggled to keep Raven still.

People at the ceremony were confused. People at home were confused. _Well at least she didn't marry him._ Ved turned off the TV.

"Where did Sheia go?" Lilah asked Bree.

They both saw Sheia walking away.

"Leave her alone. She needs it." Bree sighed. Sheia walked to the other side of the yard. She stood there looking at the city. _Why am I so confused? What has happened?_ She sat down on one of the chairs in the yard. She sat there for hours, thinking about life and Xelia.

"Hey." It was Jay. "You okay?"

"Oh um, yeah I'm alright." Sheia stood up. "Hey, thanks."

"For what?" Jay asked.

"Really, waking me up." She replied. "I didn't know what I was doing."

Jay looked at her. She was still in her bridal gown, her hair was not up anymore, rather down laying on her soft skin. She was beautiful. "Anytime. You should really thank your cousins too, they've been trying to talk you out of it."

"I know. It's been rough. I need to get back on my feet. Go back to the good times when I wasn't pressured to do something I didn't want." Sheia sighed. She sat back down.

"You'll do fine." Jay smiled. For the first time in a long time, Jay saw a real smile from Sheia. It gave him the chills. "I better go."

"Jay." Said Sheia. "Something tells me, we were close."

"We were." Jay nodded. _If only closer,_ he thought.

"Well I hope it doesn't change, I know I haven't been myself." Sheia thought. She walked towards him and took his hand. Her hand was warm and soft.

Jay couldn't help it any longer. He looked into her eyes and softly pressed his lips onto hers. He couldn't believe it, he went for it. The feeling took over him. But what if she didn't want to be kissed? It wasn't something he needed to worry about, she kissed him back. Her arms were wrapped around his neck holding him tightly. His hands wrapped her waist begging to feel more. Jay slowly broke away. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself."

Sheia took a deep breath. "It's alright." She felt everything rushing to her head. She looked at Jay.

"I've been wanting to do that for so long. I've been trying so hard to put my feelings for you away…" Jay was interrupted. This time, Sheia had pressed her lips onto his. She didn't want to break away. She never felt more relieved in a long time. All her worries seemed to go away, not even a thought of Ved crossed her mind.


	24. Lovers' Quarrel

A/N: I'm swearing to myself that I will finish this fanfic!

**Chapter 24 – Lovers' Quarrel**

It didn't take too long for anyone to find out what had happened. It almost seemed rushed that everyone in Xelia has seen their princess walk out on a wedding, then into the arms of one of their troops. Most of Xelia's citizens were happy to find out that Raven was no longer holding a position in the Cabinet, and even more ecstatic that Sheia wasn't going to marry a tyrant. However, things were only more awkward between Ved and Jay.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Ved was searching for folders in the filing room. Jay had run into him at work and decided to bring up the forbidden subject. "I've got my girl, you've got yours."

"I know, but I don't want us to be all tense about it. I know how much you felt about her." Said Jay.

Ved sighed climbing up the ladder to get another folder. "It was so long ago, Jay. She's yours alright? I don't know what you want, a permission? Because obviously you needn't one."

"Ved…" Jay sighed.

"No. You wanted her, you got her. I could care less what both of you do. Let's just stick to our lives alright?" Ved insisted. "I've gotta get back to my desk."

For the next months, the brothers saw less of each other. When the mallrats would visit Sheia, Cloe wouldn't be by Ved's side. Ved was nowhere to be found when Sheia or Jay was present. Cloe on the other hand, was a lot happier.

"Good day isn't it?" She grabbed Ved's arm as they took a walk by the beach. "You get the day off, I've got nothing planned, and it's great!"

"Yeah, sure is." Said Ved looking out into the water. Ved had nothing much to say nowadays. Cloe dragged him almost everywhere and for some reason he never argued.

"It's so lovely out here. I'm so glad I found you again." Cloe smiled.

"Me too." Said Ved with a half smile. After about half an hour, Cloe decided to they should leave.

"How about Xegian joint? We can have some garlic fries, or maybe a smoothie…" said Cloe.

"Actually, I think I'll sit here for awhile." Ved sat on a rock by the water. "It's calming, with work and everything."

Cloe frowned. "Really?"

"You can go if you'd like, I just want to relax honestly. Maybe I'll catch up with you later." Said Ved.

"I guess. I'm dying for a smoothie. Call me okay?" Cloe smiled.

"Of course." Ved nodded. Cloe kissed him on the forehead and left. Ved sighed. _Relaxation, that's what I need._ The waves were almost calm, the breeze wasn't too cold, and it was calming for Ved. He sat there on the rock looking at the waters. He then saw at the other end of the beach up high on the hill, Sheia's house. He looked again at the water, breathing in the cool air.

"It's such a beautiful day." Said a girl's voice.

"Are you hungry?" said a boy. Ved sat there, as if he couldn't hear anyone talking.

"I kind of am." Said the girl.

"Wait for me here, I'll go get us some snacks at the shop across the street." The boy's footsteps faded.

The girl, wearing her white flowing skirt and floral top sat on her sweater on the sand. Ved hadn't realize that someone was there not too far off in the beach. Ved took a rock and threw it into the water. _I wonder what's outside of Xelia? What if other countries have recovered? Maybe I could leave…there's nothing here for me._ After ten minutes, Ved decided to meet up with Cloe. He had turned to see the girl sitting on the sand, watching the waves. It was Sheia.

She had closed her eyes, sitting and feeling the breeze. She was calm and like Ved hadn't realize anyone was there. Ved had suddenly thought of a memory that they had, but tried to shut it out from his mind. _Jay must be here._ He thought he should leave. For a moment, he just stared. He then saw a little lavender flower on top of the rock he sat on. The breeze was blowing gently. Ved threw the flower in the air and walked away. The flower got caught into the breeze, surprisingly landing by Sheia's foot.

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes. The flower laid on the sand. She looked at it, brushed off the remaining sand, and put on her left ear.

"Where'd you get that?" It was Jay. He came with a box chips, dip, and a drink and sat beside her.

"Just saw it. Pretty isn't it?" She smiled.

"Of course." Jay returned a smile and kissed her. They had the beach to themselves, it had seemed that no one was ever there.

Ved walked a couple blocks down toward the outskirts of downtown Xelia. The streets weren't so crowded that day, it seemed everything was going so smoothly. He had stopped at the "Xegian Joint" and found Cloe sitting at the bar having a smoothie.

"Oh!" Cloe said surprisingly. "I didn't think you'd meet me here! Here sit down."

Ved took a chair next to her. "Can I have some crispy garlic fries please?"

"Coming right up bro." said the guy behind the bar.

"Calm enough?" asked Cloe.

"Yeah." Ved replied. "Pretty calming indeed."

Cloe took a sip of her smoothie. "We're so lucky today! I came in here and there was barely anyone sitting around. Kind of strange considering this place is usually so packed. Just my luck don't you think?" She giggled.

"Yeah…" Ved nodded. "Hey um, what do you think of Xelia? You know, since you came here?"

Cloe took a moment to think. "This place isn't too bad. Honestly, I don't remember anything from the moment of leaving the old city to being in the hospital over here. Got to admit though, there were some 'rough patches' if you will," she rolled her eyes saying this, "but it's all great now!" She smiled.

Ved immediately understood what she meant by "rough patches." He knew how the past year hasn't been a great one. "Well Cloe, I've been thinking. What's outside of Xelia? You know, is there more to than just the city where used to live, then this island, you think other places have recovered since the adults were wiped out?"

Cloe took another sip. "Why do you think that? I mean, everything's going great here. What more can you ask for?"

"I don't know." Said Ved. "Maybe I want more."

"More?" Cloe sounding surprised in a different tone. "You've everything you want right here!"

"Do I?" Ved asked himself, not realizing Cloe heard him and taking it as retorting. "There's nothing…"

"Here for you?!" Cloe now upset. She had finished his sentence and saw that Ved's face was expressionless. "I'm right here."

Ved had suddenly realized that they were in a real argument. He was too deep in thought to realize that maybe their relationship was on the line. "That's not what I meant…"

"What is wrong with you?" Cloe finished her smoothie. "What could possibly make you leave here? You've got a job, you've got a girlfriend who loves you, your friends…"

Ved was silent. He kept thinking in his mind of what's outside. He then thought, _why am I thinking this? Why would I want to leave?_ His thoughts were suddenly broken.

"Oh I get it," Cloe gasped. "I know you and Jay haven't been getting along but come on Ved, get over yourself. Wow, why couldn't I see it?"

"I mustn't be thinking right…" Ved shook his head.

"You're just torn by your past. That's why you're thinking of leaving. Your brother's invaded your past and you can't deal with it!" Cloe now raising her voice that the other customers looked to see what was happening. "I should've seen it. You're pathetic!"

"What?!" Ved now walking out.

"Don't walk out on me!" said Cloe. "I thought you loved me! I thought we'd be together no matter what!"

"You're delusional!" Ved's insides were burning with anger. "I had a life that I loved before you came back again! The moment you saw me, you right away thought that nothing had changed! You refused to see that maybe when you were drifting off somewhere, I was living a life that fit me!"

They were now outside the shop. There were more people walking the streets, the sun setting, and the streets were a little noisier. "Unbelievable! I always thought we had something going. You and the technos, then me a mallrat, I thought the odds never beat us. And now you want to leave because you can't get over yourself!"

"Can't get over myself?" Ved looked at her. "You decide to show up one day in Xelia and within a split second you threw yourself at me not thinking that maybe you weren't the one that I loved anymore!"

Cloe was silent. Ved was breathing harder than ever. He was angry, but it felt like a weight had been lifted. "How dare you…" Cloe said slowly.

"How dare I?" Ved looked up into the sky and looked at Cloe. "You never gave it one thought that maybe I didn't want to be with you. I couldn't hurt your feelings, no. It was like the switch gone back on and I had no say in my life. You forced yourself to think that there was nothing between me and her. Look at yourself, you'd drag me places always thinking you've got it all. But think again, all you HAD was a boyfriend without a soul." Ved walked away. Cloe was in tears as she saw Ved walk away.

"Where's Cloe?" asked Ebony. The mallrats were all watching a movie they had rented at a store nearby.

"She's been out with Ved today." Said Ellie as she nicked popcorn from the huge bowl sitting on the coffee table. "She'll probably be out late."

"Hmm, I'll probably give her a call just to check on her." Said Ebony as she went back upstairs.

"She's been a little weird lately." Said Salene.

"Don't let Slade catch you saying that." Ram shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"But don't you think?" Salene brought it up again. "The past few days she's just been asking about Cloe and where she's been. I never thought those two would be so, close."

Amber shrugged. "Well as long as Ebony's not up to her old ways, then everything's fine."

"Jay's not back yet?" Trudy came in hold Brady. "That boy promised we'd all have dinner tonight."

"Nope." Said Jack. "He should be here soon though. He gave me a call and said he's buying some tasty food from the new Asian joint by the beach, says it's really good."

"Well he'd better hurry up," complained Lex. "I'm starving and this movie seems like it's been on for hours."

"Shhh!" Gel eyed Lex. "She's going shopping, the best part!"

Everyone rolled their eyes and grabbed some popcorn. A good hour later, way after the movie had finished, Jay had arrived with Sheia.

"About time! I'm starving!" Sammy headed straight to the kitchen.

"Don't worry, there's a lot of food for everyone." Sheia assured him as she got out the plates and utensils.

"Can you please hand me some napkins?" asked Jay.

"Sure." Sheia grabbed some napkins from the cabinet.

"Thank you." Jay gave her a kiss on the lips. Ebony had came down the stairs.

"Ebony," said Ruby. "Where are you going? We're just going to have dinner right now."

Ebony had put on her leather jacket. "I'm going to get Cloe. Seems like she had a fight with Ved." Saying this, she looked at Sheia and left.

"That's definitely not good." Said Salene worriedly.

Sheia stood there. _That can't be too good at all._

"Well I guess we should go on with our other plan." Said a voice. "Obviously the first failed horribly, this one can't go wrong now can it?"

"I've rounded up the others, it will take about a month before we can carry it out. Maybe even two." Said another.

"How ever long it takes, as long as it gets the job done." Said the last voice.


	25. Ved's Day Out

A/N: Sorry for the wait!

**Chapter 25 – Ved's Day Out**

About a month had passed and Ved had given his future some thought. He had ended his debates with himself on whether he wanted to stay or leave. He finally thought it through and walked towards Reed's office at work.

"You want to leave?" Reed asked surprisingly. "For what reason?"

Ved was pacing. "Look, I've thought this through. I want to know what's out there. We have no contact from the outside, for all we know other places have bounced back and recovered."

"Well what if they didn't?" said Reed. "What if they're just like us, or worse?"

"Someone has to find out right?" Ved thought. "I'll find a way to contact you once I find a place. How about that?"

"Ved you're one of our better troops." Sighed Reed. "But I mean, you gotta do what you gotta do. I'll have some troops help you pack the boat. You'll need a lot of stuff. God knows how long you'll be out in the water."

"Thanks Reed." Ved nodded. "I'll clean out my desk." Ved left Reed's office and headed straight to his desk. He had already started packing up his belongings from his locker and began to open the drawers of his desk to pull out paperwork and other personals.

"Are you really going to go through with this?" It was Jay. He had gotten up from his desk to talk to his brother. "Where are you going to go? You can't go alone."

"I'll be fine." Said Ved without looking at him. "Reed's helping me out and I've got a boat."

"I thought you were happy here." Jay thought. "Why the move?"

Ved made space in one of his boxes for his folders. "There could be so much more out there."

"And there's nothing that would make you stay?" Jay asked.

"Not so much." Ved replied. "Cloe's all pissed off. She'd probably killed me if I stayed."

"Guess that didn't go so well?" Jay wondered.

"Not at all, I'm surprised I'm still alive." Ved joked. He gathered the rest of his belongings from his drawers and stuffed them into his box.

"When do you leave?" Jay took one of Ved's boxes and followed him out of the station.

"I don't know, maybe tomorrow afternoon?" Ved shrugged. "Make sure everything's packed."

"Right…" Jay put the box into Ved's trunk. "Heading to the complex?"

"Yup." Ved nodded. "I still got a bunch of stuff there too."

"Listen, I'll drop by before you go alright?" said Jay. "I mean, it was good to know that my brother was still around once I got here. I'm pretty sad to see you go off again."

Ved chuckled. "Well, if ever I find something. I'll let you know where I am."

Jay nodded. "Best you do that. Well I gotta get back to work, I'll drop by tomorrow to see you off."

Ved got in his car and drove off. Meanwhile, Cloe was still bitter and hasn't seen Ved since their argument. School term was over and she spent most of her time at the social joints downtown.

"Cloe's not home again?" asked Eli.

Trudy sighed. "Nope. She left just before lunch."

"Can't blame the girl." Amber shrugged.

Summer meant that the mallrats were always looking for things to do. May, Salene, Gel, and Ruby went out for a beach trip that day. Lex on the other hand was coming along with his reading, with Sammy helping out of course. Trudy and Amber would take their kids out for walks everyday. For a change, the mallrats weren't busy thinking about who's planning to take over the entire city. They were living their lives.

At Sheia's house, it was work as usual. Sheia had been working on projects for the hospital and schools. Sheia only saw Jay on few occasions, nonetheless they tried to make things work.

"Working hard?" It was Jay. He had come straight to her house after work.

"Pretty much." Sheia laid back in her chair. "Been a little busy, but getting through. You?"

"Not too bad today." Jay shrugged as he took a seat in her little office couch. "Ved's been packing."

Sheia looked at Jay. "He's really going to go through with it huh?"

Jay nodded as he rubbed his eyes. "I wish he'd stay. We don't know what's out there."

"Isn't that his reason?" Sheia thought looking at the floor then at Jay. "He's gonna take a look for himself?"

"Seems so." Jay replied. "Reed's even got some people at the station helping him pack the boat. Reed's pretty worried about him."

"Hmm," Sheia thought. "I can imagine." There was an awkward silence soon after.

"Well I'm going to see him off tomorrow." Said Jay breaking the quietness. "Did you want to come with me?"

Sheia looked at Jay. "Say goodbye to him for me." She said with a half-smile.

"You don't want to see him off?" asked Jay. "Look, I don't mind."

"No don't worry it's fine." Sheia assured him. "I can't come between brothers' bond."

"If you say so." Jay shrugged. "I'm starving."

Sheia laughed. "Let me finish this up first."

"Hey, I didn't think they were right about you." A troop opened the door to Ved's room.

"Dean.." Ved smiled and shook his hand. Dean was Ved's first friend when entered the Xegian troops. Dean had been stationed on the eastern side and never got the chance to visit Ved who had been stationed on the opposite side. "Seeing me off?"

"No way!" Dean laughed. "I thought everyone was joking when heard Ved was going off on a boat to nowhere!"

"Somewhere I hope." Ved sat back on his bed and looked through his boxes from work.

"It's been so long man." Dean sat on the floor looking around at the half-packed room. "Heard you got a girlfriend after the princess…"

"Yeah…" Ved nodded. "That's over with. Kind of odd actually, she was an ex who just happened to be floating around the area. She had some amnesia when she washed up ashore, but remembered me like nothing happened."

"That's rough. What about your brother?" asked Dean.

"He's with Sheia." Ved swallowed.

Dean looked at Ved with sympathy. "Man, how have you been holding up?"

"I'm fine." Ved assured him. "He's happy and so is she. Can't bother with can you?"

"Can't say I can." Dean shook his head. "I just remembered you two were so…"

"Me too." Ved cut him off.

"Well now, can't just let you go can I?" Dean laughed. "You get done with your packing here, and I'll see you later. Be dressed."

"Wait, what are you doing?" asked Ved.

Dean got up towards the door. "We are going to the pub my friend. Can't let you go without a farewell. See you in an hour. That should be enough time for us guys to get ready."

Dean shut the door behind him. Ved smiled. He continued to pack things in boxes. His room was nearly empty, but Ved was getting too tired to finish up. He laid on his bed to take a break and found a bright green paper sticking out of the box labeled 'work.' He opened the folded paper and began to read:

_Hi Ved!_

_Well, you're actually looking for some folders in the filing room right now, so I thought I'd leave a little note! Who knows when you'll find it, knowing you hehe. Well, I'm glad you're getting off early today! Sitting at your desk is a little boring, I think I like my job better. I don't know why you have that picture of us at the beach, I look horrible! I know, pretty random. Just as random as this letter! Well, you should be getting off soon. I'm really craving for a burger…_

_Your Sheia_

Ved sighed. Oddly enough, he had just found the letter that very moment. He couldn't bare it anymore. Tonight was the night, party on. Ved rushed to get everything packed and hit the showers. He was going to be with fellow troops at the pub, enjoying his last night in Xelia. He wasn't going to let anything ruin the night. After showering, he put on his black long-sleeves with jeans and his sneakers. He fixed his bleach blonde hair and headed out.

"You guys going to the pub?" He asked his roommates.

"In a bit." Said one.

Ved got in his car and took a five minute drive to the downtown area where Ziggy's Pub was. The place wasn't too packed, but Ved had already spotted Dean and a couple of familiar faces in the pub.

"There he is!" Dean pointed at Ved. "Bastard's gonna leave us tomorrow!"

"Aw come on, Dean." Ved shook his head. "Where's my beer?" He noticed Dean holding a mug.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Dean laughed. "One large mug here at the bar!"

Soon the pub was filling up with young troops. Ved had recognized everyone for they have all been in the same training camp. For once, Ved felt free of worries. He downed one beer, and then another. He didn't care how much he had, this was the time of his life.

"Crazy huh?" said a troop named Baron. "Seems like yesterday we were all fooling around in the barracks."

Dean laughed. "Then Reed called us all out into the rain…that was all your fault Ved."

"Mine!?" said Ved, already on his fourth beer. "You guys were all 'inappropriately causing a ruckus!'"

"Great description I must say." Said another troop.

It was almost one in the morning, the pub was slowly emptying. "Be safe man." A troop told Ved.

"Thanks, you take care." Ved shook his hand. Eventually, it was only Dean and Ved left in the pub.

"You guys better be going home." Said the guy behind the bar. "Closing in twenty."

"Thanks Jim." Said Dean. "So, how was that for a farewell?"

"Pretty damn good." Ved laughed, finishing his sixth. "Wow, it's been crazy here in Xelia."

"You tell me." Dean chuckled. "We became troops, you were the princess' boyfriend, that bastard Raven tries to force her into marriage, insane I tell you."

"No doubt about it." Ved agreed. "You know, that was a hell of an experience I must say. I've never dated a princess before."

"Yeah, of course I don't think I ever will." Dean joked. "Rumors were going around saying that she never really had relationships. Some say you were the first."

"Nah I hardly think so." Ved shook his head. "I remember her saying there was one before me, but that was before the virus you see? After the outbreak, she said she hasn't been in a true relationship till she met me. God I sound miserable."

"Take it easy man." Dean patted him on the back.

"She was such a doll wasn't she?" Ved now couldn't stop mumbling words. "So talented and smart…"

"Yes…yes…" Dean now trying to stay awake. "Everyone thought you were the man Ved."

"Did they really?" he laughed. "God, I don't even know how I did it. Shame it didn't last."

"Shame indeed." Dean thought. "I never told you this, but lots of people thought you could've been you know…"

"What?" Ved yawned.

"The prince!" Dean laughed.

Ved's eyes were pink and tired. "Wow. Prince eh? Wow, that's a whole lot of shit."

"Hah! That's what I said!" said Dean. "Insane people always trying to get into others' business."

Ved sat there. "I was in love man."

Dean looked at Ved, a little more awake. "I could tell."

"It just, fell apart." Ved looked down at the table. "We fell apart."

"Everyone has that someone." Said Dean. "You'll find her. I know I'm far from that!"

Ved smirked. "Yeah. Well, better get going. You fine going home?"

"Oh don't worry about me, I'm going to room with a friend down the street. Too lazy, too far." Dean joked as they walked out of the pub.

"Well I'll see you off tomorrow that's for sure." Said Dean. "You be safe."

"You too, thanks." Ved gave Dean a hug. Ved walked to his car parked in the street and sat in the driver's seat. It had just hit him that he might be a little too drunk to drive. It was one in the morning, streets were nearly empty, but he had a little too much. Ved sat there, thinking. _If she wants to say goodbye, she'd go and see me._ He kept thinking about Sheia, more than ever. It was almost painful, and couldn't be blocked out of his head.

It was blurry. Sheia was sitting on the sand. "What's wrong Ved?"

Suddenly it was dark. Overlooking the city from Sheia's house, it was a scene to remember. Sheia stood there, smiling. "Nice view isn't it?"

"Come on Ved, I know you always take my ice cream." They were in her kitchen.

"Hard day at work?" she asked, sitting at the edge of his bed.

"That was fun, let's do it again!" Sheia was running on the beach.

"I'll take care of it."

"See me after work!"

"Leaving so soon?"

"Wouldn't wanna fall." They were now at the cliff where Ved had remembered his promise.

Ved had fallen asleep in his car. His heart was pounding and sweat was dripping from his forehead. It was almost if his adrenaline started pumping. He felt daring. He felt like something was to be done. He turned his engine on, and began to drive. He didn't know why he had felt this way, but he was driving where he thought he had to go. After twenty minutes, he parked in front of Sheia's house.


	26. Departure

A/N: A little graphic chapter, just a note! You have been warned. Sorry I keep taking so long /. But here's quite a long chapter!

**Chapter 26 – Departure**

Ved didn't know why he was there, he felt he needed to come here. Their relationship flashed through his mind in a matter of minutes, and now he was in front of her house. Ved remembered the days when he'd sneak up to her room through her window. He then thought, _why not?_ He headed to the backyard and looked for her window. Her window was on the farthest left, near a group of rocks sitting in the yard. Ved used to go up this way when they were together, he figured he'd give it a shot. He climbed the first couple of rocks, then onto the roof of the first floor. He had not forgotten how to get to her room. To his surprise and luck, her window was creaked open to let in some breeze. He slowly opened the window more and peeked through the curtains.

It was dark. He could see the chairs in her mini living room and the pillows on her area where she liked to lay and rest during the day. He slowly brought one foot in, and with no sound either. One more foot he thought, but to his dismay, it had gotten caught at the window sill. "Ouch!" he tried to restrain himself.

He soon heard the blankets rustling. He had hoped not to wake her. He slowly brought his foot inside and stood up. In a matter of seconds, the lights were on, and Sheia stood there, shocked.

"Ved…" she struggled to whisper. "What are you doing here? You'll wake everyone else!"

"Shhh…I'm sorry." He tried to calm her down. "I know I shouldn't have come through the window, but I really need to…"

"Ved you shouldn't be here." She told him. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry, really I am." Said Ved. "Please, I have to talk to you."

"Now is not the perfect time for this! Couldn't this wait till morning?" She said worriedly trying to keep her voice down.

"Would you have seen me off?" He asked her.

Sheia looked at him. "No, I wasn't planning on it."

Ved looked at the ground. "I kind of thought you weren't."

"Look, I would've." She stuttered. "But I don't think it would've been appropriate. I didn't want to get in between you and your brother."

"Well you did that so well." He said sarcastically.

"Are we going to have another argument?" she asked. "I'm really not in the mood for one. Especially because my ex-boyfriend decides to drop by through the window at one-thirty in the morning!"

"I wanted to say goodbye alright?" said Ved frustratingly. He was now pacing. "I just had a great time at the pub with the troops, and well I thought, maybe I should say a little farewell to the ex, no?"

"You got drunk didn't you?" she gasped. "A little too much I think."

"What do you care?" he retorted. "But I guess our goodbyes will end right here then."

"You're unbelievable!" she threw the pillow that she was holding at Ved.

"I'm unbelievable?!" Ved throwing the pillow to the ground. "I wanted to say a goodbye before I never see you again and all you do is get on my ass about how I got drunk and bothered your beauty sleep?!"

"Well considering we haven't spoken or seen each other in months, I should be happy that you dropped by huh?" Sheia now arguing.

Ved laughed. "You know what, I'm not going to waste my time."

"Get out of my room." She demanded.

"Oh yes I will." Ved held up his index finger, a little wobbly. "But before I do, let me tell you this. After drinking maybe six beers…" Ved stopped Sheia before she can nag on him drinking so much. "I sat there talking to Dean and suddenly, we started talking about you and me. I was in love, it fell apart, WE fell apart, excuse me. Then it got me thinking, wow that was an experience."

"God you're so drunk." She rolled her eyes.

"I may seem drunk but I'm thinking pretty clear!" said Ved. "Anyways, continuing before I was rudely interrupted, I thought, what are the chances of me seeing her again? Didn't think you would come by tomorrow, which I commend myself because I was right. So I'm sitting in my car, plastered like crap, and all of a sudden, I knock out! Fuckin hell it's like my world's spinning, and then it stops. Blurs out a bit, then I see you. Scene after scene, it was you. I wake up and god knows what happened, I don't know why I did it, but I ended up here. But now that I am here, and I've said that, I'll go."

Ved turned around towards the window, but unfortunately hit his forehead on the wall. Sheia stood there looking at the intoxicated Ved. "Was it really great at Ziggy's?"

Ved rubbed his forehead now leaning towards the window sill. "Yeah, pretty good. Well Sheia, I've said what I came to say, and lastly, goodbye." He got one more look at Sheia, who stood there with wearing her sleeping shorts and silk green cami.

"You take care." Sheia said slowly. "Wouldn't want to get washed away."

"You too, take care of my brother." Ved sighed. "One more thing Sheia, before I start wondering to myself like a maniac on the boat, did you two ever…"

"No." She said firmly. "I don't think I'm planning on it ever happening."

"Oh." Ved bit his lip. He put one foot out and looked at Sheia again. He looked at her face, her cute and comforting face. Her hazel eyes, he knew those eyes always looked happy, but at the moment he couldn't tell what she was feeling. She looked at the frame she had curvy hips and slender but evenly thick legs that would make him go crazy. Ved sighed. "Goodbye Sheia."

"Bye." She gave a little wave and watched him struggle to get out of the window.

As he was trying to get out, he had a feeling that wouldn't escape him. He didn't want to leave. He looked out into the dark sky, he would be leaving for who knows how long. "Who am I kidding?"

"What?" she thought, the next thing she knew, Ved lunged himself back in and pressed his lips on hers. He felt that same rush again. He couldn't fight the feeling he had inside. He forced his tongue into her mouth, brushing against hers. Sheia drew away from the kiss. "What are you doing?"

"I couldn't help it, sorry." They were both breathing heavily.

"Please leave," her face now looking saddened. "I'm gonna go back to bed." She walked away and into her bathroom, now looking at her face in the mirror. She fought hard to keep the tears in. She knew what was overwhelming her, the fact that she was never going to see Ved again.

"Sheia…" Ved was now at the bathroom door. "You're the reason why I'm leaving."

She looked at him. "Me? The last thing I'd want to do is drive you out of this place."

"Seeing that we were never going to be together again, I thought maybe I'll find more for myself out there." Said Ved. Sheia had now walked out of the bathroom and towards her other window by her bed. Ved followed. "I know Jay makes you happy, I want to be happy too. Maybe I'll find it out there."

Sheia walked to the other side of the bed looking at Ved. "Go find it then."

Ved sulkily walked towards her mini living room and towards the window again. He couldn't help the feeling. It just kept coming back. He walked back towards Sheia. "I don't care what you say, but I'm in love you." He kissed her again, putting his hand gently on her neck. To Ved's satisfaction, she had begun to kiss him back. Her arms were wrapped around his neck as his hands began to run down her back. As they kissed passionately, he slowly led her towards her bed.

He gently laid her down as he continued to kiss her. Ved's insides were burning up. He was now unconsciously kissing her neck and his hands were now roaming freely. Her silk cami made him feel her soft breasts touching his chest. He wanted more. He wanted to have her. Sheia on the other hand, didn't reject any of his body language. Her legs were now clinging onto him, then her hands started reaching towards his belt buckle. Ved was burning up even more, his hands now caressing her under her cami. She moaned as his hands touched her breasts, his belt buckle now undone.

He was now kissing her right below her neck and his hands were now going lower. He found his hands going beneath her shorts and under her silk panties, he felt her. She continued to moan and eventually succeeded in taking off his shirt. She looked at his body, chiseled and toned from being a troop. He continued to massage her in between her thighs, now putting a finger to feel her inside.

"You didn't think I forgot where you liked it?" he whispered into her ear as he thrusted his finger gently into her wet opening.

"Oh god…" She moaned. He was now sucking on her breasts as he pleased her with his fingers. He then withdrew his finger, now putting two. She didn't deny the pleasure he was giving her. She was begging for more. "Oh god, take off your pants."

They were both wanting more and more from each other now. She stroked him as he kept rubbing her. Ved lifted her to the center of the bed and took off her shorts and panties. "Are you ready for me?"

"Don't make me wait." She whispered as he thrust himself into her. The feeling was overwhelming. Ved felt her insides warm and wet. She pulled herself closer as he held onto her legs as he thrusted in and out. They were making love. In the back of his head, Ved thought of their first time together, it was nothing like this. There lust was genuine and spontaneous, he felt his skin on hers, wanting more as she moaned, trying to keep her voice down.

He then had her from the back, going in deeper and deeper. He had never felt so pleased in the longest time. He grabbed her breasts as he kept going. He has suddenly stopped and turned her over to their original position. "I wanna hear you moan…" He thrust himself back into her, putting one of her legs up. He knew this was what she liked to finish.

"Oh god, right there." She pulled him closer. He could feel his insides burning again, this time, he wanted to release. She moaned louder begging him not to stop too early, and soon he began to moan. He went faster and faster, until a sudden feeling of satisfaction took over. He had came in her.

He laid next to her, both catching their breathes. "Ved, what does this mean?"

"I won't say a word…" Ved looked at Sheia. He kissed her on the lips. "I missed you…so much."

Sheia smiled at him and closed her eyes. "Ved, I've always loved you." Ved smiled as he watched her fall asleep.

The next morning Ved had realized where he had slept. Sheia was still asleep, but he realized that his car was still in the front. Ved slowly got up trying not to wake her and headed to the bathroom. It had suddenly occurred that he wasn't supposed to be there. It was seven in the morning on a Saturday, people can't be awake this early. He quickly washed up and changed. He then looked at Sheia, who was still fast asleep after the noise he had been making in the bathroom. He didn't want to wake her, yet he wanted to say goodbye. He saw his bracelet, the one she had given him when they first became friends, took it off and put it gently into her hand.

"Goodbye Sheia." He kissed her softly on the lips. She muttered something and fell right back to sleep. Ved got out through her window and ran back to his car. The house was still quiet, no one was awake, it was safe for Ved to pull out of the driveway and leave like he was never there.

"Where have you been?" asked one of his roommates. He was sleeping on the living room couch.

"Knocked out in my car." Ved muttered as he went into his room. His room was nearly empty, his packing has gone smoothly. He laid on his uncovered mattress. _Am I doing the right thing, leaving here? I don't know what I want. What am I talking about? I do, but it will fall apart, like before._ Ved eventually fell asleep.

"Hey, shouldn't you be heading to the boat?" a voice asked.

"What?" Ved opened his eyes, yawning. It was Jay. Suddenly, Ved was alert. "Oh. I um, accidentally fell asleep."

Jay laughed. "Heard you had a pretty crazy night."

"Yeah?" Ved panicked. "How so?"

"Oh I don't know, drinking, going crazy down at the pub," Jay said. "sleeping in your car all night. Man, some farewell party huh?"

Ved sighed. "Yeah, pretty crazy." Ved was afraid that Jay had somehow found out that he had slept with Sheia. "Well, gotta head down to the dock now."

"Here, I'll bring some stuff for you. See you by the boat." Jay took some boxes and left. Ved gathered the rest of the boxes and took one look at his room. It was the last time he was ever going to see it. He said goodbye to his roommates, and left the complex.

"You be safe, Ved." Said the troop at the gate. Ved waved as he left. Once he got to the dock he saw Jay and Dean putting some boxes into the boat. Gene and all his siblings and cousins were there, except Sheia.

"Are you sure you want to leave? I mean, are we underpaying you?" Reed joked.

Ved laughed. "Oh bribery now huh?"

"We just wanted to make sure you're leaving with enough things to last you a month." Smiled Bree.

"Wow, thanks guys. I mean, really. Thank you." Said Ved as he looked at the crates of food and blankets.

"Well, you should keep your communicator on you." Said Gene. "I'm not sure how far it can still receive signal, but let us know how far you are and if you're okay."

"Don't worry about it, I'll keep you informed as much as I can." Ved nodded.

"Oh Ved, be safe!" said Gerie, hugging him.

"I'll be fine." Ved smiled.

"Get on then." Said Ivan. "Weather's looking pretty clear right now."

"You take care of yourself brother." Said Jay. "You let us know if anything happens. We're here for you."

"He's right." Smiled Bree. "Be safe."

"Yeah, we're not going anywhere man." Assured Dean.

"Thanks everyone." Ved got onto his boat and started its engine.

"In one of the crates there are a couple gallons of gas in case you run out." Said Ivan.

"I'll keep that in mind." Ved nodded. "Bye everyone."

"Be careful!" Ved heard Gerie yell as he pulled away. He was sailing into the ocean and could barely see everyone standing by the dock. One last time, he looked to the other end of the city where Sheia's house was. He took a deep breath and looked forward.


	27. The Truth

A/N: I've finally re-read this fanfic and decided that I might as well finish while I remember what has happened. I have to say my writing has changed a lot and I can only hope these final chapters will end this story the right way, even if my original plot may have changed. Enjoy.

**Chapter 27 – The Truth**

Sheia woke the next morning feeling a little bit empty. She realized the she had overslept and knew that Ved had probably left. There was no doubt that she was confused about her feelings for Ved and Jay, who was there for her too. She couldn't help but feel guilty of what she did the night before. What was happening? How was she able to just let Ved come back into her life like that? The truth is that he stepped in for just a moment and now he's gone. She must have sat in her bed for a good hour or two that day. She feared that Jay would find out and he would be deeply hurt. She also felt he deserved the truth. He had treated her so well, how could he possibly deserve to be deceived?

"Hey," Bree came in. "You okay? I figured you needed some rest but it's half past noon."

"I'm alright," Sheia rubbed her eyes. "Just a slow morning that's all."

"You know, Ved left already."

"I know, hope he's safe, wherever he is."

Bree pulled the curtains open to let in some light. She stared out into the balcony, looking at the view of the city. "Come on, get dressed. Just another day at work."

"I'll be right out," Sheia replied as Bree left her room. She headed straight to her shower and gave the situation more thought. She didn't want to be dishonest with Jay, but Ved told her that it would be their secret. But should it be a secret? She wished she could just tell herself that she only had feelings for one and that was it. Why did she have to get with Jay? Why did she let herself begin a new relationship when she knew very well that she still had feelings for Ved? The more she thought about the two the angrier she became, mad at herself for making this mess. "Maybe he wouldn't have left."

She would go about days concentrating on work, trying to dismiss the thought of Ved and Jay. Jay came to visit once in a while and though it made her nervous, she managed to keep her night with Ved a secret. She hated keeping a secret from Jay and every time she saw him she kept thinking of ways to tell him. It never came around. It was not until a month had gone since Ved left; she decided to bring up the subject.

"Have you heard anything from Ved lately?" asked Sheia. They were having breakfast at a café by the beach. They sat at a booth in the back for privacy. She nervously picked at her potatoes, anxiously waiting for an answer.

"Last I heard from him was a week ago," replied Jay. "It took him four days to reach land. Says he found another city, but it's not well off as Xelia. He said they were slowly trying to fix the city up and he was going to help out for as long as he wanted."

"Well that's good, at least he's alright," Sheia sipped her coffee. "Surprised the communicator was able to work that far."

"It sounded a little choppy, but I think he's going to take to some tech kid to try to boost the signal range."

"Probably should look into doing that for all the troops."

"Wouldn't be bad if you did," said Jay.

Sheia pulled out her planner that she carried in her bag and made a note. She had gotten better at managing her time with work and still being able to see Jay. "Note taken."

"Sheia?"

"Hm?"

"I may just be assuming things," Jay began. "But is there something wrong? I feel like something may be bothering you."

"How do you mean?" she tried to force a smile.

"You just seem, a bit disconnected. And the few times when we'd try to get intimate," he looked around as he lowered his voice. "You seem sad. And I can tell by the way you say 'I love you.' It doesn't sound the same."

She felt her heart throb. Had she been that obvious? She was trying so hard to subside every thought of her and Ved. Then she thought that it was time. Jay deserved to know the truth, "Jay…you're right. Something has been bothering me."

"Tell me about it."

She looked into his brown eyes. This was going to break his heart and she knew it. He had been such a good boyfriend and was always there for her. She had to be honest, "I completely understand if you choose not to talk to me or see me ever again after I tell you this."

"Okay…well what happened?" Jay now sounded more concern.

"The day Ved left, you know I didn't go see him off right?"

"I know."

"Well," she felt her hands shaking underneath the table. "The truth is…I saw him the night before. He came by the house."

"So you said goodbye?"

"Yeah," she answered. "But that wasn't it, it all happened so fast. We were arguing. I told him to leave because he was drunk and he probably didn't know what he was doing. Then he kissed me."

Jay saw her eyes well up in tears, "Um, and that was it…right?"

She noticed that he now looked worried. She didn't want to do it, "No. It wasn't. The first time I pushed him away, but the second time…I gave in."

He laid back in his seat, staring at his food.

Already wiping her tears, she said, "Sparing you the details…he spent the night with me." She didn't want to look at him in the face. She could already sense the disappointment, there wasn't a nicer way of breaking the news. It had to be heartbreaking.

"Sheia…" he finally spoke after a long silence. "What you did was wrong."

"I'm so sorry Jay," she sniffed. "I wanted to tell you for so long because I knew it wouldn't be right to lie to your face, trying to act like things were okay."

"I know," he sighed, finally looking at her. "I should be furious right now, and I kind of am I will admit. But, I should have seen this coming."

"What? Why would you say that?"

"Well it's no surprise," said Jay. "I came into the picture and turned this into a love triangle. Something was going to happen sometime that would make us really think about what we were doing. I knew he still had feelings for you, but I ignored it because I was in love with you…I still am."

"Jay…you're always too nice to me."

"Yeah, I know," he nodded. He pulled out his wallet and laid a few bills on the table. "I think you and I know that we need to think about this on our own. And if somehow we realize that maybe we should be together, then it will happen."

Sheia wiped her eyes, knowing that he was indeed right. "Okay…Jay, I'm really sorry."

He stood up and looked at her. "I know, I am too. See you around." He kissed her on the cheek and left. She touched her cheek, feeling the spot where he kissed her. It was bittersweet; she liked feeling his touch, but she didn't feel like she deserved it.

Jay kept to himself for the next few days. He woke up, went to work, and then went straight home. He barely talked to any of the Mallrats, and soon they caught on that he wasn't seeing Sheia anymore.

"I feel bad for him," said Trudy as she sorted her laundry in the living room. "Must have been some fight they had."

"I wonder what happened, it's going to be the talk of the city once everyone realizes Princess is riding solo once again," Gel thought.

"Really Gel? Is it really your business to know?" Amber shook her head as she played with baby Bray.

"I'm just saying," Gel began picking at her fingernails. "We all know Jay's got it bad when it comes to her, so it must have been something serious to make them split."

Trudy and Amber carried on a new conversation without Gel. "Well I think it's safe to say everyone has adjusted pretty well," said Trudy.

"Yeah that's true," Amber agreed. "Probably not for the younger kids though, I hear Sammy and Lottie complaining about school every now and then."

"Well who doesn't," Trudy laughed.

"It will be fine, trust me," said Ebony as she and Cloe walked downstairs.

"Where are you two headed?" asked Amber.

"Oh," said Cloe. "Going for a walk downtown."

"Can I come?" asked Gel. "Been wanting to go shopping."

"No," said Ebony almost immediately. "I mean, sorry Gel. Maybe next time. Cloe met a boy so I'm just keeping her company when we meet up with him."

"Sorry Gel, we'll be back later," smiled Cloe as they left. Trudy and Amber couldn't help but be suspicious whenever Ebony ran off without giving an odd excuse for leaving.

"So that's what happened?" asked Bree. She eventually got Sheia to talk about what happened between her and Jay. It was almost midnight and Bree noticed that Sheia's light was still on, so she decided it would be a perfect time to have some girl talk.

"Yeah, I feel so horrible," Sheia shook her head. "How could have been so stupid? I shouldn't have given in."

"Well to be honest, the fact that you did give in says a lot. Don't you think?"

"What? Are you saying you're not surprised I gave in?"

"Well in retrospect yes," said Bree. "It's surprising find out right now but when you really do look at it, it was expected. Think about it. Why else would you have given in? Maybe because you missed him a lot? You did love him didn't you?"

"I did," Sheia stood up and began pacing.

"Sheia," Bree now sat on her bed watching her cousin walk towards the balcony. "I think you really need to dig deep for this one. Who do you really love? I know Jay makes you happy and he's such a nice guy, but they're brothers. If you don't settle it sometime, this thing can go on forever."

"I know, maybe if I just try to move on. You said it yourself, they're brothers and even if I finally pick one of them, the other will just be hurt."

"You guys never…?" asked Jack quietly.

"No," Jay sighed.

"Do you think she was going to ever…?"

"Guess not." Jack had finally got Jay to talk about him and Sheia. He was getting a little concerned when Jay would stay up in his room instead of hanging out with any of the Mallrats. Jay was a little reluctant at first, but he had grew fond of Jack and he was always dependable and trustworthy.

"I don't know Jay," Jack opened up his laptop. "Well if she wasn't ever gonna sleep with you, don't you think that maybe, just maybe, she might feel guilty afterwards because you're Ved's brother?"

"Or maybe she's just wanted him all along, and not me."

"Umm, well maybe that too," Jack nodded. "All I'm saying is, she needs to find out what she wants. It's no use sitting up here all day thinking about what she was thinking about you know?"

"I guess."

"I mean I'm not saying she didn't really love you, because from what it sounds like she does, from the way you described how she told you. But you really have to look at it this way: is she really worth the bond between you and Ved?"


	28. Bad Timing

**Chapter 28 – Bad Timing**

Jack made a good point. He was thankful that he had found his little brother again, but he knew why he left. He couldn't stand seeing his brother with his ex-girlfriend and it made him unhappy. Weeks passed and he let the thought sit in the back of his mind. He didn't want to dwell on it anymore, and then his communicator went off.

"Jay? Come in Jay?"

"Ved?" Jay was on his way home from work when he heard Ved's voice in his earpiece.

"Hey! It works so much better!"

Jay managed to smile, "How's it going?"

"It's been alright," Ved found an abandoned lighthouse on the coast of the new city he was living in. He lived by himself with a few neighbors by the pier. "Managed to get all my stuff into the house and all."

"That's good, and how's the city itself? Getting a bit better?"

"I guess you could say that," Ved walked up the stairs of the lighthouse to look at the view of the ocean. "I think I'm probably better off than most people here though. They say they have a government but they're not really organized. There are a few tribes here too. A crazy kid the other day was trying to recruit me to his tribe called 'Gunmetal' but by the sound of it, they seemed like a messed up tribe."

"Already finding some friends I see."

"Hah, not that one. There's a few nice kids here though, don't see myself joining a tribe I have to say."

"Well it's good to hear you're doing good," Jay pulled up into the garage.

"How's everyone doing?" Ved asked.

"Good, really good," Jay half-lied. "Work's been fair, a lot of the other Mallrats have been busy with either school or work. Life's not looking too bad."

"Oh yeah? Well good to hear. I just spoke with Gene not too long ago for a few minutes, he seemed pretty busy but even he said everything was fine."

"Yeah, things have been good here."

"Good…" There was hesitation on both sides of the communicator.

"Well you think you may come back to visit? Or are you moving there for good?" asked Jay.

"Umm," Ved scratched his head. "I'm not sure yet. There are some things I like here and some things I don't. There are always the things that I miss about Xelia too, after all it was my home for a while."

Jay wanted to tell him that he was no longer with Sheia, whether that was good or bad news to him. He also wanted to tell him that he knew about what happened the night before he left, but he didn't. "Well, don't hesitate to give me a call if anything happens."

"Thanks Jay," said Ved. "Give my best to everyone. Talk to you again soon."

* * *

Sheia was walking down an empty street, looking for anyone. The street was so foreign and the buildings were all broken into. She was walking barefoot over broken glass, and though her feet bled, she didn't feel pain. Suddenly she was taken to an abandoned beach and the sky was dark. She felt lost. Every direction she ran, she saw water and sand. There was no way out. Then Ved appeared out of nowhere.

"I missed you…"

"You can't keep doing this to me," she said.

"But don't you love me?" he asked.

"I…"

"Answer me," he was no longer Ved. It was Jay, his hair messy and his face distraught. "I thought you loved me."

"I did…I do…"

"But you slept with my brother! How could you do that?" He was now grabbing her arms.

"Stop doing this, Jay," she sobbed.

"Why did you do it? I'd do anything for you." He pushed her towards the water.

"I'm sorry, please don't do this."

"I loved you, so much," he had turned into Ved again, his eyes now watery. He pushed her into the water. She couldn't breathe. She was about to drown.

"NO!" Sheia woke up in cold sweat, her heart pounding fast. It felt so real. It had been exactly six months since Ved left, five since she broke the news to Jay. She knew what hurt more and she knew what she wanted to do. She threw a jacket over shirt and snuck out of the house. She went down to the garage to borrow Reed's motorcycle and left. Why didn't she see it sooner? Why did it take so long to figure it out? She rode as fast as she could and found herself in front of the Mallrats' house.

She stood in front, looking at the top left window which was Jay's room. Was this it? There was no more room for lies, unsure feelings, and hesitation. She pulled out her communicator and hooked it onto her ear. "Call Jay," she said quietly as she heard beeping on her earpiece. She hoped that he would answer. He had to answer. Then she saw a light turn on in his window.

"Jay here," he said groggily.

"Jay?"

Jay rubbed his eyes realizing that it was a voice he rarely heard, "Sheia?"

"Meet me downstairs in the garage, I'll be by the door," she walked towards the garage door to the left of their house. She stood there, hoping that he would eventually come down. She didn't want to wait anymore. Suddenly, the lock clicked and there was Jay, in a white shirt and blue sweat pants. She almost forgot what he looked like and how kind his face was. It had been so long since she last saw him at one of the troop stations. She stepped inside the garage, all cluttered at the walls with most of the space left for the van.

"It's two in the morning," he said yawning.

"Sorry, I didn't think it could wait," Sheia said nervously. "How have you been?"

"Fine actually, a little bitter that I've been woken up but otherwise good, yourself?"

"Same I guess, I kind of got woken up too," she replied.

"Well, so why are you here?" he asked.

"I actually wanted to talk about…us," she said slowly.

"Us?"

"Yeah?"

"Timing's a bit off though," he said flatly.

"Timing?"

"Actually met a girl the other day, was going to have lunch with her tomorrow on my day off."

"Oh," she noticed the seriousness in his voice, but it also told her that her visit was unwelcomed. "I see."

"But whatever you've got to say," he began and finally made eye contact with her. "Must be important if you came here in the middle of the night in Reed's motorcycle."

"A little bit."

Jay nodded, "well?"

"Well I might as well get everything off my chest," she sat on a dusty stool she found in the corner. "I know what I did was wrong and you didn't deserve it. I was with you and I loved you and that should've been enough of a reason to stop myself from sleeping with Ved. You have done nothing wrong and have always been so nice to me, it made me feel like an idiot, a stupid slut that didn't know what she wanted."

"Don't call yourself that."

"Let me finish. I loved you so much that ever since the day I told you what happened, it just tore me apart. I tried to put away the thoughts and the more I did, the more I felt miserable. Why was I still holding on to Ved? He left, clearly because there was nothing left for us. Why didn't I see that too? I was too stupid to see that what happened that night was a mistake, a huge mistake that cost us our relationship."

Jay leaned against an old broom closet on the opposite corner. He looked at her, absorbing all that she said to him, slowly.

"I love you, Jay," she stared at him. "Only you."

He looked back at her in silence, which made her feel a little bit uncomfortable. It felt like a whole five minutes of awkwardness, he didn't move or talked, he just looked at her. She wondered what he was thinking about. Did she say the right things? Or were they wrong? Was it really bad timing? She slowly stood up, not taking his eyes off him.

"I guess I'll let you think about this one," she walked towards the door.

"Wait," he finally spoke. She turned around to find that he was walking towards her with his arms crossed. "I forgave you a while back already, you didn't have to explain yourself again."

"I felt I had to."

"It wasn't easy moving on, but I knew I had to try."

"I understand if you already have."

Jay looked into her hazel eyes, "I haven't. Well, you coming here just reminds me of how much my efforts to move on have failed."

"What should we do?" she asked. He was now standing directly in front of her. He held her left hand, remembering how soft her hands were. His eyes wandered from her hand to her face, looking at her like it was the first he saw her. "Jay?"

He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. He kissed her softly, giving her time to get used to the feeling again. It felt so right. He held her closer by the waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They missed each other's warmth. He didn't want to let go of her, she belonged with him. He was afraid at first, but he eventually used his tongue explore her mouth again. She didn't hesitate, she wanted to give him what he was looking for. His hand ran up and down her back and then down to her soft, plump bottom. He missed everything about her. They continued to kiss as Jay pushed her towards the broom closet. He pressed against her, now kissing her neck. He found his hands going underneath her shirt, nervously working his hand up her smooth curve and to her breasts. It drove him wild as she moaned softly.

Then suddenly, THUD. Sheia opened her eyes to find that someone had walked into the garage and hit Jay in the back. There must have been four or five of them dressed in all black.

"What the—"

"Let him go!" Sheia yelled as one of the intruders tried to restrain Jay, pulling a piece of cloth over his face. Another one pulled out a syringe needle and injected it into Jay's neck, dropping him limp on the ground. "Jay!"

"You're coming with us, say goodbye to your lover boy," one of the voices laughed. She tried her best to fight and yell for help, but there was too many of them. She too was caught, then injected with the same drug. It was all a blur, she could feel the intruders carrying her off, leaving Jay's body in the floor, helpless. That was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.


	29. Hostage

**Chapter 29 – Hostage**

The sound of a large garage door woke her up. It was dark. She couldn't tell if she had been blind-folded or a sack was put over her head. There were muffled voices. All of a sudden she felt her body being dragged by two people for about 10 minutes, then thrown against a wall. She tried to gain full control of her body but both her hands and feet were tied up. They didn't even bother to sit her up. The ground felt cold and wreaked of rusted metal. The voices talked again but later faded and she knew they shut the door on her. She was locked up, blinded and bounded.

"Jay?" a voice called. "Wake up Jay, can you hear us?"

Trudy and Salene woke up to the sound of wheels burning rubber on the street. At first, Salene went downstairs to check if anyone had stopped by and noticed that Gene's motorcycle was parked in front. Trudy followed her downstairs and found the garage door in the kitchen slightly ajar.

"What happened?" Lex asked running down the stairs with Ram and Slade behind him. Jack helped Salene get Jay on the couch, but Jay didn't wake.

"We found him in the garage knocked out," replied Salene. "From the looks of it someone was here."

"Odd thing is, Gene's motorcycle is outside," Trudy added.

"But Gene wouldn't do this," Ram answered.

"You'd better let him know his motorcycle is missing," said Trudy. Ram nodded, heading upstairs to get his communicator.

"What's going on?" Amber whispered making sure to not wake the other Mallrats that were sleeping. Jack explained the scenario, leaving Amber in shock. "So is he going to be okay?"

"Seems like he's been drugged," said Lex as he examined minor bruising on Jay's neck. "Looks like they injected him with something."

"Gene's on his way with Reed," said Ram coming back to the living room.

"Well if Gene didn't come here, then who would take his bike out?" asked Amber.

"We were thinking it would have to be Sheia," Salene shrugged.

"But she's not here," said Trudy.

"Ughhh…" Jay had finally woken up.

"Take it easy man, you okay?" asked Lex.

"Wa…water…I need…water," Jay's voice sounded hoarse. His eyes were still closed, arching his back realizing that it felt incredibly sore.

"Relax," said Salene. "We found you in the garage."

"Here, drink," Amber brought back a glass of water.

Jay took the glass, his hand shaking nervously. He didn't say a word for five minutes as everyone stared. "What was I doing in the garage?"

"Thought you would have an answer for that," Trudy looked at him. Suddenly, a car pulled up into the driveway. "That must be Gene."

Gene had obviously left his house quickly. He had only a sweater on and his dark green pajamas on. They quickly noticed that he had a concerned look once he walked through the door, "There's a problem."

It was as if Jay remembered everything that happened, "She was taken."

"What?" everyone gasped.

"You need to tell me exactly what happened Jay," said Gene as he took a chair by the couch. "Xelia isn't a big island so we should be able to find her, quickly if we can."

Jay finally sat up and buried his face in his hands. It finally hit him when he remembered being half-conscious when they took her away. "She called me, around three this morning. She wanted to talk, so we did in the garage. We kissed…" He suddenly felt embarrassed explaining this, "then I remember being hit hard in the back. They restrained me, covered my face with a piece of cloth, and then they injected me with something. All I felt was being paralyzed and I fought hard to keep my eyes open, but I just couldn't. I still heard things though. She put up a fight, but I knew she couldn't do it on her own. They probably drugged her too, and that's when they took her."

"Do you know how many of them were there? Did you recognize anyone?" asked Gene.

Jay tried hard to remember if there was anything that stuck out, "Probably five of them, but they all dressed in black. Think they were all guys though, two them were huge. I heard one of them talk and his voice sounded a little familiar, but I have no idea who it was."

Gene sighed. "This isn't good, I'm going to have to tell Bree and Reed about this. Excuse me." He walked into the kitchen, switching on his communicator.

"Why would anyone want to kidnap the Princess? Xelia is so small, they'd easily get caught," wondered Jack.

"Ransom?" asked Trudy.

"Even then you'd got to have a lot of nerve trying to kidnap her," thought Amber. "And whoever did it, must have been planning this for a while. How would they have known if Sheia snuck out?"

"No one at the house would have betrayed Sheia, they're all family…" said Jay.

"My first thought was that it could be Raven," Gene came back from the kitchen. "He's the only one that would hold a grudge against her, especially after she refused to marry him and then kicked him off the cabinet. It's a perfect revenge scheme."

"But doesn't it seem a little easy?" asked Lex.

"Easy?" thought Gene.

"I agree with Lex," said Ram. "Everyone would accuse Raven first. If he really did do this then he knew very well they'd be looking for him. He's obviously had accomplices."

"Well we need to start with Raven first," said Jay.

* * *

"Is anyone there?" Sheia pleaded. It felt like hours since she was left alone. She was shivering and hungry. Her skin grew pale in the dark room. The smell of rusty metal began to make her gag. She tried to stand up but the ropes on her ankles were tightly bounded. "Hello?"

Then she heard the door open. Frightened by the stranger she couldn't see, she started back herself up into the corner. "Not so tough now are you, Princess?" The stranger's voice sounded distorted.

Suddenly the sack was pulled off her head, giving her vision back. The stranger was tall and built. He wore all black and the only thing she saw was his eyes. He also had some kind of device over his face mask, concealing the sound of his true voice. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"It's not up to me," said the guard. "But Xelia's going to be just fine without you." He laughed as he snipped the ropes on her ankles, leaving just her hands tied behind her back.

"I'm hungry," she said.

"Princesses don't get food here," he laughed again, slamming the door shut. She now noticed it wasn't an ordinary door; the stranger was turning a valve to seal it. Escaping wouldn't be easy.

"This has to be Raven's plan," she said to herself angrily. She stood up, looking at the metal room. It was cold, and there was a large mirror on one of the walls. "This has to be a two-way mirror. I know you're watching me!" She yelled, trying to kick at the mirror but it didn't break. She would get a running start, constantly trying to kick through the mirror, but there was no use. After several attempts, she sobbed as she fell back down to the floor.

* * *

"What was all that commotion in the morning?" asked Ebony as she went downstairs for breakfast.

Amber explained to her what had happened while she fed Bray, "I'm surprised you didn't get up. We were all worried about Jay."

"Hm," Ebony thought. "I didn't think it was something serious. Have they gone looking for her?"

"I think they're about to broadcast it on TV," said Ellie.

Jay and Ram came downstairs fully suited in their troop uniforms. Jay had a very serious, but troubled look on his face. He was feeling a little better after getting a couple of hours of sleep, though it was hard falling asleep altogether. "Should be heading out soon yeah?"

"Yup," said Jay sorting out his backpack.

"Jay," Trudy said slowly, knowing that he was a little angry that Sheia had been kidnapped. "Do you think you should tell your brother?"

How could he have forgotten? Ved was no longer here and he had no idea what had happened. If he were Ved, he would want to know if something big happened in Xelia. He'd want to know because Sheia was part of his past. "I think they're about to announce it on the news," said Jack, snapping Jay out of his thoughts and now focused on the TV.

"We have breaking news this morning," the young female reporter began. "Xegian Troop Captain Gene has begun an investigation of the kidnapping of Princess Sheia. The princess was kidnapped at a residential home on the 34th block of Astrid Ave and has been missing since approximately 3:30 this morning. If anyone has noticed any suspicious residents that may lead to the Princess' whereabouts, we urge you to contact any Xegian Troop. We also leave you the following numbers for each of the troop stations in your part of town. If you are watching this Princess, we hope you return home safely."

"Such horrible news Minny!" said the fellow reporter.

"Indeed Walt, a strange story at that," she nodded. "We'll keep you up to date for any leads in the investigation."

"That's our cue," said Ram as Trudy put the TV on mute. "We'll see you later."

"You should tell him Jay," Trudy reminded him.

Jay nodded, "Yeah, don't worry about it." He wasn't sure if he really wanted to tell his brother. Jay and Ram headed to the training camp where all of Xelia's troops stood and waited. There must have been about 70 boys and girls lined up, waiting for Gene's orders. About 25 minutes in, Gene arrived with his cousins.

"At ease troops," he said as he stood on a podium. "You already know what had happened after you were all alerted this morning through your communicators. The princess is missing and it's our job to go and find her. Everyone under Lt. Ivan's district will be assigned to looking through the forests on the outskirts of the city. There's a likely chance that our suspects may have taken her out of the city as the forests are inhabited. I will leave it to him to start conducting the searches."

"All your communicators are now programmed to be working all day so they will not be turned off," said Bree. "We have registered all communicators in the database so should you lose it, we will have to disable it and you won't be able to use it again until this investigation is over. We wouldn't want the suspects to gain access to any of our leads."

"The troops in my district and Lt. Reed's will search the city. We will be conducting thorough searches throughout all the neighborhoods, especially alleyways. There's not a door we won't knock on till we find her," said Gene.

It was as if Jay was frozen. He was worried where Sheia was, but he was also bothered about whether he should tell Ved. He had been gone for over five months now, would it be wrong to not tell him? Sheia had finally confessed her love for Jay and only him, what if Ved came back? He didn't want to be selfish, he couldn't be. But he knew she was his and he wanted it to stay that way. Gene finally finished his talk with the troops as everyone began to leave. Jay couldn't remember every single thing Gene had talked about. "Jay, Gene's calling us over there."

"You guys will be sticking with me," he looked at his watch. "Especially since you were there when it happened, the suspects may be looking for you too."

* * *

"How long are you planning to starve her?" asked a low voice.

"Not my concern right now," the other answered. "Have the girls reported to you?"

"Nope, they're probably trying to lay low in case anyone suspects them."

"Hmm," Raven stood up from a chair and walked towards the two-way mirror. "We'll give the troops till tonight, and if they don't get anywhere close, we will take charge."

"Everyone suspects it's you who did it though," said another voice.

"They can't convict me if they don't find her. They'll go through my house and find that everything is completely normal with no evidence that I was behind it," he chuckled. "You should probably round up some followers too, we're going to take over."

"Where would we find people that go against the family?"

"I hear the rebels in the east side of town are still a little bitter about their riots being stopped those many years ago," Raven thought. "Tell them this is their time."

"I'll get on it."

"And the princess?"

"There won't be a princess anymore," he stared at Sheia who was shivering in the corner of her tightly-sealed cell.


	30. The Search

**Chapter 30 – The Search**

The troops kept busy all day. Xelians were all questioned about any suspicious activity, hoping to find any clue to where Sheia was taken. Gene ordered his troops to start looking through alleyways while he took Jay, Ram, and a few others to check Raven's house.

"His car is parked out in the front," said Ram as they arrived in front of a small red house with white trimmings. "You think he's here?"

"Doubt that, which reminds me," said Gene as he opened the trunk of the troop car. He handed Jay and Ram their first laser guns. They were light but unlike their Techno lasers, these were actually handheld. "They're all on stun mode, but that's all we really need for now. Did Reed ever talk to you about these?"

"We've gotten to practice them a bit at the station's shooting range," said Jay admiring that it was so lightweight.

"I'm sure we got the hang of it though," Ram nodded.

"Good," Gene closed the trunk. "We want to get answers from anyone so we'll leave them on stun for now. Get the door."

The other three troops ran towards the door. They connected a piece of wire from what looked like a remote the size of a calculator to the door knob and in an instant, the door opened. Two of them went in first, guns held out. Gene followed and so did Jay and Ram. The sitting room was tidy except for a couple of books that were left on the couch.

"Kitchen's clear," said one troop.

"Check upstairs," ordered Gene as he proceeded to what looked like Raven's study. It wasn't as clean as the sitting room, but it looked as if he was just there. There were papers scattered on the corner of his desk.

"You think we might find something we need here?" asked Jay.

"Possibly, start looking."

"Captain, upstairs is clear."

"Just as I thought. I'm going to take a look upstairs, let me know if you find anything," Gene left the study.

Jay and Ram looked through all the papers on the desk and found nothing. They opened all the filing cabinets and only found documents on Cabinet meetings, district projects, and community elections. There was nothing pertinent in any of the folders they found. Ram skimmed through the small bookcase by the window, hoping to find a note of some sort.

"There's a weird looking keyhole on the desk," Jay saw an oddly-shaped keyhole underneath the papers. "Hey Zach!"

The troop that opened the main door came into the study, "yeah?"

"You think that can open this lock?"

He took a look at the keyhole, "We can try but this keyhole looks different." He hooked the wires up and looked at the remote. It made an odd sound but nothing happened.

"It's not working?" asked Ram.

Zach tried again, "Nope. Either this has a special key or Raven's programmed this lock to only to open to him."

"There should be a key somewhere," thought Jay. They rummaged through the study again, looking for any object that would fit into the keyhole. Ram kicked the chair to the side and the seat cushion popped out.

"Look what I found," Ram found underneath the cushion a key that was shaped the same way as the lock on the desk. "Try it."

When Jay turned the key, the center of the desk popped open revealing a thin computer screen, along with a keyboard and mouse. "Try to get that computer running, I'll get Gene."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Ram pulled the seat back together and switched the computer on.

"Gene, we've found his computer," Jay found him upstairs in Raven's room.

"Good," he finished checking through the closet. "He's clean so far and I think he's made it this way on purpose to not find any evidence."

"Well Ram's working on it so maybe we'll find something there," Said Jay as they both headed back to the study.

"Any luck?" asked Gene.

"Cracking through his security password was too easy, but I've been looking through his files and I don't see anything abnormal."

"Nothing with Sheia's name on it?"

"I did a system search and nothing came up."

"Well he couldn't have made it that easy to access," Jay thought. "Did you check any folders that had security settings?"

With a few buttons pressed, Ram now had the computer go to a black screen. He typed in a few codes and found a list of folder names, "Looks like he has quite a few."

"Can you open them?"

Ram typed again, opening only two folders that didn't have any important information. This process went on, until Gene noticed the title of one folder, "Try opening the one that says Stadler."

"Stadler? Does that mean anything?"

Yeah, I don't know how I didn't see it right away," Gene shook his head. "My siblings and cousins, including Sheia, we all belonged to the Stadler family."

"Dammit," Ram pounded his fist on the desk. "This one's encrypted."

"You can break through it can't you?" asked Jay. "This is your forte."

Ram began to type codes again, but ERROR kept popping up. "I've been able to hack into anything why is this so different?"

"Can't you create an internal virus to corrupt the security settings?" asked Jay.

"Hmm," Ram raised his eyebrows. He began to type rapidly again, clicking every once in a while. The computer made a beeping sound for a moment and then the black screen appeared again STADLER FOLDER – OPEN. "Nice one Jay."

"That bastard's got a file for each of us," said Gene angrily. There were subfolders for everyone in the family: Reed, Ivan, Gene, Lilah, Bree, Gerie, and of course Sheia. "Open Sheia's."

It was shocking to them how much information Raven had on Sheia. Her birth certificate, information on her deceased parents, articles from the local newspaper, and much more, they were all in there. There were pictures too, both old and new. The newer ones were from recent city events, cabinet meetings, and troop training. What made Jay bothered the most were the pictures of him and Sheia at the beach or having a meal in town.

"Someone's been following her for a long time," said Ram.

"There's nothing on here that confirms a warrant though," Gene sighed. "Zach, hook up the external hardrive. We're keeping a copy of his files. I don't even know how he was able to access all that information."

* * *

"Shouldn't have gone to school today," said Sammy as he and Lottie walked into the kitchen.

"What's wrong now?" asked Salene.

"Been interrogating all the students today," replied Lottie. "I mean it's fine because we get to skip class but they kept pestering everyone for information. Not like we knew anything about it."

"Stop whining," said May. "This is serious stuff so they're doing whatever they can to find her." Lottie rolled her eyes as she and Sammy left to put their bags away.

"Find who?" Cloe walked in.

"Sheia of course," said Ellie as she made herself a sandwich. "How have you not heard about it? She was kidnapped HERE."

"Really?" Cloe thought. "That's terrible."

"You coming with, Cloe?" Ebony was headed out the door with a backpack.

"Yup," Cloe nodded. "See you all later." They quickly left the house.

Amber came downstairs holding Bray as she looked out the window at Cloe and Ebony. "Where are those two going again?"

"They didn't say," answered Ellie.

"Am I the only one that thinks it's a little weird they've been hanging out a lot?" asked Trudy, who sat on the couch and opened a book.

"I'm thinking the same thing," said Amber. "I just don't trust Ebony."

* * *

Sheia passed out again. Her stomach continued to make noises as she curled up on the cold floor. She hated that her kidnappers watched her suffer through the mirror. Having had enough, she found the energy to stand up in front of the glass. She kicked the mirror again.

"I know you can see me! At least give me some fucking food if you're going to hold me for ransom!" She yelled, kicking the mirror repeatedly. "Come out of there you cowards!"

She could feel voices laughing through the glass. There was no energy in her left. She dropped down to the floor again and passed out.

"Hey, get up!" a voice yelled. "Been telling you to wake up for the past fifteen minutes! Get up!"

Sheia sat up and looked at her visitor. This one was different, a little bit shorter but still wore a voice manipulator on their mouth. The person dropped a tray of molded bread onto the floor. The sight of the fungi growing on the crusts made her gag.

Her visitor laughed, "Bon appetite!"

It was disgusting. There were barely any pieces that didn't have any mold. She tried to remove the rotten ends, eating whatever she could.

* * *

"I'm going back to my house to hand this to Lilah," said Gene. "She'll know what to do with all these files. You all go on ahead and contact Reed. He should be searching through the downtown area by now. Get some food while you can too."

"See you later," said Jay as he and Ram left with the other troops.

Gene drove back out of the city and back to the house. He found Lilah in Sheia's office, going through any recent activity on her computer. "Got anything new for me?"

"Here," Gene pulled out the little external hardrive from his pocket. "Got it from Raven's computer. You'll find that he has a file for each of us."

"You're joking," her eyes widened as she plugged it into the computer. "What in hell is he doing with information on us?"

"Thought you can work on that while I get back to the city," Gene sighed.

"Will do," Lilah nodded. "Hey, take a break will you? You're looking worn out."

"I'll keep that in mind," Gene closed the door behind him and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

The day had gone by fast and there was no luck from any of the troops. Gene called the search off for the day at around 8pm to give the troops time to rest. Jay, however, didn't want to stop looking. He insisted that he and Gene would try to figure out from the information they had where they could have taken Sheia. At times, Jay would hear his communicator going off and he knew it was Ved who was calling. He almost answered him the following morning, but he shrugged it off and continued to help in the search.

It had been two days already and the forest had been completely searched by Ivan. Troops found nothing in the forest or the beach, including the caves down by the cliff. Things started looking grim and even the Cabinet had started urging Bree to appoint one of its members to take over the search. This only made Gene even more angry as he made it his top priority to find his cousin. Jay wasn't taking it easier either. He barely slept when the search was called off for the second time in a row. He couldn't stop thinking about her, hoping that the worst will not happen.

As Gene was about to leave the house for the third day of the search, Lilah caught him in the kitchen. She had been up early going through the files from Raven's computer. Her purple hair was tied up in a messy bun despite her clean looking troop uniform.

"So I thought maybe by printing these out we can easily see what information was in those files," she dropped a folder onto the counter. "Looks like he wanted you gone too."

"Me? Why me?"

"Think about it Gene, you're the captain of the troops, their leader next to Sheia. If he had control over the troops, who knows what he could do to the city."

"Sounds like he's been planning this for years."

"Yeah," Lilah sighed. "I'm going through Sheia's files right now. I'll let you know what I find." She left.

"Thanks," Gene opened the folder. Suddenly, his communicator went off and said "Incoming from Ved." Gene pushed the button on his headset, "Gene here."

"Gene, sorry to be a bother right now, but have you seen Jay?" It was indeed Ved. "Been trying to contact him all morning but I thought maybe his communicator's broken."

"I actually just saw him," Gene took a sip of water. "We're in the middle of a mess right now actually. Troops have been working all day."

"Is that so?" asked Ved. "How come? Everything alright?"

"Well I'm sure you heard that a few days ago Sheia was kidnapped," said Gene. "We've been looking for her since, but no luck."

"_What?_" said Ved. He was in the lighthouse drinking a cup of juice, dropping it after Gene told him the news. _Sheia. Kidnapped._ "How…how did this happen? Do you know if she's still alive?"

"We haven't found any leads, but we do have reason to believe they want her alive," replied Gene. "Ved, there might be another rebellion coming if we don't find her soon."

"A rebellion? In Xelia?"

"We're already getting suspicious of the Cabinet, they've been urging Bree to have someone take over the investigation."

"The hell they are, they're probably behind it."

"We don't doubt that," Gene explained their findings on Raven's computer, making Ved angrier by the moment.

"I can't believe this is happening," Ved took a seat by his window. "I wasn't told any of this."

"Really? I thought Jay would have told you the day it happened."

Then it occurred to Ved. Jay had been avoiding his calls. "No, not at all."

"Anyway, I've gotta get back to work."

"Expect me back there tomorrow," said Ved.

"Tomorrow? How are you gonna get here that fast?"

"Found this kid whose dad was a pilot, I figure I can trade him my computer for a trip on his plane. It's a little old, but I've seen him fly it."

"Right," said Gene. "I'll have Reed meet you at the docks when you arrive. Your communicator needs to be reprogrammed."

"Thanks. See you soon," Ved put down his headset and looked out his window. _Sheia was kidnapped_. He hated the sound of it every time he repeated the words. He didn't want to believe it. Why now? _It has to be Raven._ He was worried and angry, angry at his brother for not telling him. He would have wanted to know if something ever happened to anyone back in Xelia, especially Sheia. Ved had the right to know. _It's been three days_. He went into the bathroom and splashed some warm water onto his face. It only occurred to him now how different he looked. His hair was a little longer and messier, his beard a little visible because he rarely shaved. His arms were a lot more muscular now, all from the hundreds of pull-ups he'd do on the bar outside the lighthouse.

He had been content with life for a while now, especially away from Xelia. The news was just too much to bear, he needed to go back. He felt useless and he wanted to help them find her. For the longest time he had been okay with his brother too, talking to him every once in a while, but now he was furious at the thought of him. He began to pack anything he could. He would say goodbye to the lighthouse that was his home for a long time.


	31. Takeover

**Chapter 31 – Takeover**

"It's been three days Xelia," said Kendall, one of the Cabinet's members. He was broadcasting live at the news station. "The troops have been searching all over the island for her and have come up with not a single clue of where the princess is. The Cabinet has waited long enough and so have the people. We beg for your support to urge Captain Gene to step down from the investigation, and let us leaders find her."

"They can't do that!" Sammy yelled as the Mallrats watched the announcement on TV.

"Kendall," said the reporter. "This is obviously a hard time for Xelia, why should Captain Gene be removed?"

"It's simple," Kendall sat up on his chair. "There is absolutely no progress in this investigation. Being former troops, the Cabinet will take over the investigation and promises to have found Princess Sheia by the end of the week. Xelia is not a big island; there is no reason for this search to last this long."

"There is talk that the princess ran away, what do you make of them? Her long-time boyfriend Jay, another troop, refused to comment."

"I don't think she ran away at all, but we do have our suspicions of the people she associates with."

"This is bullshit," said Lex. "There's obviously something going on here that the family doesn't know about."

"Maybe they do, but this does seem fishy," Amber thought.

"Anyone seen Ebony?" asked Gel from upstairs. "She took one of my favorite black jackets."

"No Gel, and that's not important right now," Salene shook her head.

"Wait, she didn't come home last night," thought Ellie.

"Was Cloe with her?" asked Trudy.

Ellie nodded, "yeah she actually was."

"That's odd, anyone know where they went off too?" asked Amber.

Slade took a sip from his water bottle, "Ebony hasn't said much lately," he said when Amber looked to him for an answer.

"I heard they Cloe went to see some boys again!" yelled Gel.

"Boys huh?" Lex thought. "Don't you think it's a little weird that those two in particular have been hanging out?"

"Very weird," said Trudy.

* * *

"That bastard really went on air for that?" Gene yelled, talking to his siblings and cousins in the conference room.

Bree shut off the TV, "This isn't good, next thing you know he'll have us all thrown out of our house. There really is no lead on Sheia?"

"A bunch of kids said they might have heard something down by the old aquarium the morning of her kidnapping, but other than that no," Ivan shook his head.

"And the aquarium was searched?" asked Bree.

"We spent a good three hours in there trying to find any other passageways," Gene sat on a chair rubbing his eyes. It was two in the afternoon of the third day of search and things have been looking dismal. "Where's Lilah? Has she found anything new from Raven's hardrive?"

"Working on it in Sheia's office," Reed replied. "Well, we have to keep looking for her. It's pretty obvious that the Raven has the Cabinet at his feet."

"You won't believe what I've found," Lilah stormed in the conference room with a stack of papers.

"What do you have there?" asked Bree.

"Conversations, meeting transcripts…" She scrambled through the papers and set them all out on the table. "The Cabinet has been meeting with Raven for a long time now and this is just the first stage of their plan to take over Xelia."

"What?"

"Look here, getting Gene out as Captain was just going to be the doorway to kicking us all out," pointed Lilah. "They're going to have you step down before you even got a clue where she was. Then to gain the people's trust, they were going to reveal where she had been hold captive."

"That doesn't make sense, then the people would just think the troops were just a step away," said Ivan.

"Let me finish," she demanded. "This is the scary part. There was a lot of debate during one of their meetings and that was over whether they wanted Sheia dead or alive at a life-threatening state. If you look at this conversation, Kendall and Yari were against killing her. Raven of course, thought otherwise."

Bree gasped at the startling information. "That's insane, the people will revolt!"

"According to their plan, by the time this happens, they would have gotten most of the residents on their side. That's why Kendall made the announcement on the news, to get people thinking again."

"We've gotta keep this search going," said Gene.

Lilah looked at Gene. "I think you're going to have to sit this one out cousin."

"What?"

"Calm down, Gene."

"Let them have what they want?" he yelled.

"Lilah's right," said Ivan. "At least let them have this part of their plan fall through, but when we find her it will backfire on them. The people will see that they planned all this to gain control of Xelia."

"We need a clue at least, if we don't have any leads we have nowhere to start from."

"And that's where my last piece of information comes in after you so rudely interrupted me," Lilah raised her voice. "You had me look up the suspected locations like Memoria off the cliff, the meat-packing plant, and the aquarium. I found everything that I could on all locations, history in the news, residents associated with them during pre-virus; you name it I found it, including blueprints."

"Blueprints?" Reed's eyes widened.

"Memoria obviously doesn't apply so I ruled that place out, but I looked at the blueprints of the meat-packing plant and the aquarium," she laid out two blueprints side by side. "Both buildings were owned by the Harman brothers before the virus. I tracked down who are the actual heirs to this building and what do I find? Kendall's father was the last CEO of Harman brothers."

"You're joking."

"Not at all, and since both buildings had the same owners," Lilah traced a passageway on the blueprints. "There's an underground passageway connecting the two buildings, about half a mile long, which you guys obviously haven't found."

"Where's the entrance?" asked Gene looking at the blueprints.

"Looks like through the manager's room at the aquarium, the one behind the garage," Ivan pointed. "Could have sworn we searched that room though."

"There has to be some secret door in there," Gene thought.

Suddenly, a few cars pulled up in front of the house. "I'll go check it," said Bree.

"Lilah, you think you can upload the blueprints into my computer pad?" asked Ivan.

Bree ran back into the conference room, "Kendall's here with the rest of the cabinet and some reporters. Get rid of all the papers!"

Lilah grabbed all the papers and shoved them into a folder. She rolled up the blueprints, wrapping them with rubberbands. "Gene, they're gonna pressure you to step down."

"I know," Gene sighed. He turned to Ivan and Reed. "You guys resume the search. They'll probably suspend my communicator so I won't be able to contact you, but don't let them take over your squads."

"Right," nodded Reed.

Ivan agreed, "We better leave through the garage. Once Gene is off the search, they'll try to get to us."

"Hurry," Bree called as they heard the doorbell ring.

* * *

"Get up!" a voice yelled. Sheia couldn't remember how many times she passed out since she got there. She felt so weak, eating off the molded bread that was given to her.

"You've barely given me…any water," she slowly opened her eyes.

The stranger laughed, "Oh you'll get your water, soon enough."

She was kicked in the stomach as she curled up on the floor. The ropes on her hands had already made marks on her skin that was even paler than the day before. The stranger kicked again, laughing even harder as her stomach bruised underneath her shirt. Sheia did something that she fought hard not to do since she was kidnapped. She cried. The pain was too much and she felt useless and weak. She was beginning to think that there was no way out and no one had a clue where she was. "Stop…"

"Begging me to stop? Priceless!" There was another kick. Sheia struggled to sit up, to take a look at her abuser. "You deserve this you know."

Sheia realized that this guard did not have a voice manipulator. This person was smaller than the others, and then it came to her. "I know you…"

"You know me?" The voice now audible and feminine, she pulled off her ski mask. It was Cloe. "You should, because you ruined my life."

"I didn't do anything," Sheia said softly.

"Oh no? You only manipulated my boyfriend, my one true love," Cloe sounded distraught. "Into wasting his life on YOU."

"I barely spoke to him since you came."

"Really? In case you didn't notice, he left five months ago because of who? You. And why did he break up with me? Hmm, if I have to guess it's because he couldn't get over you. 'Sheia this and Sheia that,' disgusting."

"Well…" Sheia was now irritated. "That's obviously…YOUR problem now is it?"

"Are you gonna get smart with me?"

"YOU couldn't get him to love you again, YOU couldn't keep him from leaving. Need I say more?"

"You stupid bitch," Cloe slapped Sheia across the face. "Hmph, maybe you are right, it is my problem, that I didn't get rid of you. When Raven's done with you, I'll be there to comfort poor Ved, when he eventually finds out that you died when he was away. Oh yes, Jay never told his little brother what happened to his princess."

Cloe laughed, turning towards the door. Sheia used all her energy to bring herself up, then lunged at Cloe. She kicked her, hard on the face and then her stomach. "You stupid girls!" One of the larger guards in black walked in followed by a petite-looking one.

"Cloe, get up!" Sheia was pushed off Cloe, but at that moment she realized who the other small guard was: Ebony. There was no mistaking her voice. "I told you not to get carried away."

"Come on get out of here!" Ebony helped Cloe up, leaving the cell. The guard looked at Sheia, "you'll have your meal soon." The guard's voice was distorted too, she noticed. She lay on the floor again as the door sealed shut.

The day ended with another televised interview with Kendall, announcing Gene's retraction from the search. Xelians all over the island were confused with the troop Captain being removed from his cousin's investigation. The Mallrats were outraged, but as Xelians now, they had no control over what was happening. Jay was beginning to doubt too, that they wouldn't be able to find Sheia. He no longer slept. When he was sent home, he laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. There was no use sleeping if he didn't know that Sheia was back home, sleeping in peace too.


End file.
